For the Love of Muraki
by Muraki Asato
Summary: Muraki has been acting strangely lately, and so has Tsuzuki. What's going on? Is someone playing with someone else? What'll happen when Tsuzuki's friends find out? What about Oriya? And what's going on between Tsuzuki and Ukyou? OOC-ness! MurTsu
1. Murder

Konnichiwa!   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yami No Matsuei (Wish I did)  
  
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Long blonde hair stained at the end with blood, floated in the sticky grass in front of his white shoes. He stepped back to avoid the stream of blood flowing from the body towards him, threatening to stain those shoes. He stared down at her, his expression blank. No feelings what-so-ever about the fact he had just killed this woman lying at his feet. "Just like dolls...They will wither and decay, but never age, and never weaken." He whispered to himself. His mind flashed back to how it had started.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
It was just another normal night, with the exception of a light fog that had settled on the ground. He was taking a stroll in the park at an extremely late hour. He had stayed late at the hospital to get some extra work done to take his mind off of a...special someone. He had to go through the park to get to his car, which was parked, on the other side. That's when he saw her, and that's when the urge to kill overrode him once again.  
  
She was sitting by herself in the dark on a park bench. She held her arms as if she was cold. After a moment she saw him walking towards her. She didn't panic. She smiled at him and looked away.   
  
He stopped and sat down next to her on the bench. He folded his hands in his lap and looked up to the sky.  
  
"What are you doing out here, on a night like this all by yourself?" He asked her calmly.  
  
"I'm waiting for someone." She answered firmly.  
  
"At this late hour?"  
  
She nodded. "And you?"  
  
"Extra paperwork at the hospital. I'm a doctor." He told her. He dropped his gaze from the sky and looked at her.  
  
"A doctor? That's an interesting job." She said simply, a bit more gently.  
  
"What do you do?"  
  
"I work at a bridal shop."  
  
"How long have you been waiting?"  
  
"A couple hours." She sighed. "I suppose he stood me up."  
  
He stood. "Could I give you a ride home?" He offered her his hand.  
  
"Arigato, but I think I'll walk." She stood too, not even looking at his outstretched hand.  
  
He took his hand back and set it in his pocket, his fingers ran over the blade of the knife inside. "Are you sure?" He asked. "It's dangerous at this time of night."  
  
"Hai, lots of...people out. But I can take care of myself." She told him. She then turned to leave.  
  
"Can you?" He asked, pulling the knife out of his coat pocket gently.  
  
"Excuse me?" She spun around to meet him, but instead meet with his knife in her stomach.  
  
"Obviously you can't." He said, turning the blade in his hand.  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
That was how it had happened. It had all started with that simple urge to kill, and ended with this...mess at his feet. 'I wonder if whom she was waiting for will come.' He thought to himself. He lifted his foot and nudged her lightly. 'Finally given up have you? Pity. Such a waste.' He dropped the knife. It's tip stuck into the ground. He slipped off his now stained white gloves and shoved them into his pockets. Then, he stepped neatly around the body and headed for his car. A man ran past him on the way, which waved at him. He simply smiled and walked on. He reached his car and got in.   
  
That's when he heard a man's voice yell out from far away. "Oh God No! Somebody Help! Help! HELP!" It was panicked.  
  
'I suppose he found her body.' He mused lightly. He turned the key in the ignition, ready to start driving off when the man who had run past him appeared at the side of his car. He pounded on the window in a fearful panic.   
  
He rolled down his window and looked at the man with fake concern plastered across his face. "Is there something wrong?"   
  
"Do you have a phone? I need to call an ambulance! My girlfriend was hurt in the park while waiting for me." He nearly screamed.  
  
He tuned off the car. "I'm a doctor. Show me where she is and I'll take a look at her."  
  
"Thank you so much!"  
  
He took the key out of the ignition and rolled the window back up. The man outside the car looked around frantically in waiting anticipation.   
  
As he had expected the man led him back to his kill from moments before. He pulled some extra doctor gloves from his pocket and checked her pulse. He rested her arm gently back on the ground, closed her wide-open eyes, and turned to the man with a fake frown. "I'm afraid she's gone." He said carefully.  
  
The man dropped to his knees and burst into large chocking sobs.  
  
The doctor in white stood and called the hospital on his phone. With a few comforting words to the sobbing man he left for home.  
  
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Onegai! Tell me what you think! By the way, this will turn into MxT...eventually. 


	2. Getting the Case

Heres another chapter! No-Da!  
  
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Hisoka practically fell into his chair. He'd just spent the last hour running from his two fan girls, Saya and Yuma. He'd lost them somewhere around Watari's lab. Hisoka heaved out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and dropped his head to his chest. 'Will they ever just give up?' He growled to himself.  
  
"Hisoka? Are you all right?"  
  
Hisoka looked up to see large violet eyes staring at him as his partner stood next to his desk. He blinked. "I'm fine."  
  
"You look tired." He observed.  
  
"Saya and Yuma." He growled under his breath.  
  
"Oh. I see." His partner nodded in understanding and sat at his own desk.  
  
Tatsumi walked in carrying a stack of folders, he dropped it on the violet-eyed man's desk and then pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"But Tatsumi..." He whined.  
  
"I don't want to hear it Tsuzuki." He said stiffly. "It's about time you started doing some work around here."  
  
"I do work!" The puppy-man protested.   
  
The secretary simply glared at him, then adverted his attention to the younger man collapsed on his own desk. "Something wrong Kurosaki-kun?"  
  
"I just spent the last hour being chased around all of Meifu by Saya and Yuma."  
  
"Well you have work to do too." He said gesturing to the pile of papers and folders on Hisoka's desk. "If they come by I'll be sure to get rid of them for you."  
  
"Thanks Tatsumi."  
  
The secretary nodded and left to hide in his office under his paperwork.  
  
Hisoka sighed and buried himself in his own paperwork.  
  
After a few hours the bouncy blonde scientist leapt into their part of the office and sat on the side of Tsuzuki's desk.  
  
"Hey Watari." Tsuzuki greeted with a large grin on his face.  
  
"Hey Tsuzuki!" Watari grinned. "Are you two going to the meeting?"  
  
"What meeting?" Hisoka asked curiously, tearing away from his work.  
  
"The meeting that starts in five minutes."  
  
"As long as I don't have to sit next to Terazuma again." Tsuzuki pouted.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll sit in-between the two of you." Watari smiled. 003 chirped in agreement with her master's statement.   
  
"Thanks Watari!" He beamed.  
  
"What's the meeting about?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"A series of murders or something like that." Watari told him, looking around.  
  
"Why don't we get going?" Tsuzuki stood up.  
  
"You just don't want to do your paperwork, Tsuzuki." Hisoka glared.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled. "Let's get going!"  
  
"Come on, bon." Watari grinned, grabbing Hisoka's arm and dragging him along.  
  
They entered the meeting room and took their seats, then waited for Tatsumi to enter. Terazuma and his partner, Wakaba, were the last to enter. Against his will Wakaba forced Terazuma to sit next to Tsuzuki. They growled at each other and turned away. After a few moments of whispers between Wakaba, Watari, and Tsuzuki, Tatsumi finally entered the room making it fall dead silent.   
  
Tatsumi closed the door quietly behind him, set his papers on the table, and turned to face them all. He stood silent for a moment. He suddenly cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "As I'm sure some of you have heard, there has been a series of murders among the living. It will take all of us here to take on this case, or so I'm told. We have only a few clues as to who the murderer or murderers are."  
  
"Do we have any suspicions as to who it might be?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"I'm afraid not. When I said we have only a few clues I meant it." He stated calmly.  
  
"What clues do we have?" Watari asked.  
  
"As far as we know the victims had no relation what so ever to each other. Some were killed with a knife, others with a gun. Each murder was committed in the dead of night..."  
  
"And the moon?" Tsuzuki interrupted.   
  
"Nothing special about that." He assured him. "They were all in, near, or in a close radius of the park in Nagasaki when they were killed."  
  
"Any hair, fingerprints, or any sort of DNA at the crime scene?" Watari asked.  
  
Tatsumi shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He paused to scan the room. "Any other questions?"  
  
"How many were killed?" Wakaba asked seriously.  
  
"Twenty-six." He paused. "So far."  
  
"Male? Female? Any resemblance in physical features?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Twenty-three males and three women. The women were all blonde and the men were all brunettes." He answered.  
  
"Anything else."  
  
Tatsumi checked his notes. "No."  
  
Terazuma nodded and lit up his cigarette.  
  
"How do we begin this case?" Tsuzuki asked. "Looking for clues I mean."  
  
"We will all go to each of the crime scenes and see if we can find anything the police might have missed. And Kurosaki-kun, if you don't mind, will try and get a vision from the murders; maybe you'll see the murderer or murderers."  
  
Hisoka nodded.  
  
"So when do we start?" Watari asked.  
  
"As soon as possible." Tatsumi answered.  
  
"And our paperwork?" Terazuma asked, eyeing Tsuzuki with a smile, knowing he hadn't done his paperwork.  
  
"Forget about it for now. Do as much as possible whenever you get a chance."  
  
They all nodded in response.  
  
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I promise it will get more interesting! Until next chapter... 


	3. Crime

LOOK! ANOTHER CHAPTER! YAY!   
  
(i know that was lame. Ignore me, I'm a little hyper)  
  
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"This is the last crime scene, the most recent." Tatsumi told them. "Just a few nights ago."   
  
"Tatsumi...was there anything special about this one?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"The girl was waiting for her boyfriend on that park bench there. When her boyfriend found her she was...had already been attacked. He'd seen some people on his way into the park and went in search of one them or at least a phone. He found one of them about to drive off. Luckily it was a doctor, but unfortunately it was too late."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Apparently a few of the people he walked past were doctors. Going home late from the hospital."  
  
"That makes sense." Terazuma nodded, drawing a long puff of smoke out through his nose.  
  
Tsuzuki coughed and took a step away from the man and his cigarette. Terazuma snorted and mumbled something under his breath before walking over to the park bench to examine it more closely.  
  
"Bon, anything?" Watari asked.  
  
Hisoka slowly took his hands away from the ground and stood up. "Nothing here."  
  
"Try the bench." Wakaba suggested.  
  
"Watch the blood." Terazuma warned.  
  
Hisoka nodded and gently set his hands on the seat of the bench.  
  
"Blood Terazuma?" Tatsumi asked. "Where?" He walked over to stand beside the other man.  
  
Terazuma pointed to a large splatter of crimson red on the bench next to Hisoka's hands, with the end of his cigarette.   
  
"Watari, have a look at this." Tatsumi nearly demanded.  
  
Watari quickly bounced over to the bench and began to examine the splatter. "This wasn't in the report. They must have missed it." He told them.  
  
Hisoka stood up strait and looked at Tatsumi.  
  
"Well? Anything?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"It was too dark to see him."  
  
"Him?"  
  
Hisoka nodded. "It was defiantly a man."  
  
"What about these damn lights?" Terazuma asked kicking a lamppost lightly.  
  
"The bulb had gone out." Hisoka explained.  
  
"Did you see how it happened?" Wakaba asked innocently.  
  
"They were talking...I don't know what about though. He stood, and then she stood. She turned to leave and suddenly turned back around, she met his knife in her stomach and he whispered something to her."  
  
"And?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Too gruesome." Hisoka shook his head, as if trying to erase the memory like one of those etch-a-sketch pads.  
  
"So it was a man." Tsuzuki stated again.  
  
"Boy did we get far." Terazuma said sarcastically. "This is the only one we were able to get anything on."  
  
"I think we should pay Oriya Mibu a visit." Tatsumi announced.  
  
"Why?" Tsuzuki trembled slightly.  
  
"He may know something. He keeps in tact. Besides, he was a friend of a murderer, was he not?" Tatsumi questioned.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "All right."  
  
"Not that you have a choice, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi told him.  
  
Tsuzuki whimpered and latched himself onto Hisoka and Watari.  
  
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Hey! That was short! Oh well, until next chapter! 


	4. Meeting

Another Chapter!   
  
*Warning! OOC FROM HER ON OUT*  
  
I'd like to thank my reviewies!  
  
On with the story already.  
  
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They arrived at the KoKakuRou late at night. It was closing time. They had purposefully arrived this late in order to catch the man named Oriya off duty. Tatsumi lead the small group to the door and knocked.  
  
"Hai? How may I...oh, you." Oriya's smile diminished slightly. "How may I help you?" He asked.  
  
"We simply came to talk and ask you a few questions." Tatsumi said smoothly.  
  
He sighed lightly. "Come in."  
  
They went through the door and then followed Oriya to a large room.  
  
"What can I do for you?" Oriya asked.  
  
"The murders lately...have you heard about them?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Hai, I have. What about them?" He asked.  
  
"Do you know who could have done it? Committed the murders, I mean." Terazuma asked, a hint of aggravation in his voice.  
  
"Why do you ask me?" Oriya cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think I have something to do with it?"  
  
Before they could answer there was a light knock on the door.  
  
"Come in." Oriya said.  
  
A woman poked her head in the door and smiled shyly at the new guests in the room, then Oriya. "Oriya-sama, your guest is asking for you and wants you to bring the new guests with you."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Arigato." He smiled at her.  
  
"You're welcome." She closed the door and her footsteps disappeared down the hall.   
  
"Follow me." Oriya told them and headed out the door. Just before heading up the stairs, Oriya picked up his katana. He led them up some stairs and to a wing of the brothel they'd never seen before. He stopped in front of a closed door and opened it slightly, poking his head in, and whispered something unheard by the shinigami to the occupant. He, soon after, opened the door the rest of the way and took the lead into the room.   
  
Tatsumi wasted no time in following.  
  
The room was dark except for the moonlight streaming in the door that was open to a small balcony. The white doctor sat in the open door with a large book sitting in his lap and a cigarette held loosely in his right hand, which was draped over his knee. He didn't look up even the slightest bit as they came in and stood by the far wall.  
  
Oriya walked over and sat at the white doctor's feet, leaning gently on the rice paper door. "You wanted to see me?" He asked.  
  
No answer.  
  
Tatsumi, Terazuma, and Watari stood protectively in front of the other three shinigami. Tatsumi cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it was rather unintelligent of us to think you were dead. So how are you anyway, Sensei?" He asked.  
  
Again, there was no answer. The white doctor turned to the next page in his book.  
  
"Kazu? Where are your manners? Answer." Oriya told him.  
  
Still nothing. He took a short drag of his cigarette before returning to the same position.  
  
Oriya sighed, stood, and looked at the shinigami. "He's fine."  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "As for my earlier question Oriya..."  
  
"Oh," he nodded. "That. What was your question again?"  
  
"I hadn't asked one, I was rudely interrupted." He glared at Terazuma out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Terazuma snorted and looked at the ceiling.  
  
"Well go on then." Oriya urged.  
  
"As I was saying before, did you by any chance happen to know any of the victims?" Tatsumi went on.  
  
"No." He said simply.  
  
"I see." He paused in thought. "Do you have any idea who could have committed them?"  
  
"Kazu, you mean? Are you asking me if Kazu did it?"  
  
Tatsumi nodded slowly.   
  
Oriya sighed and looked down at Muraki. "Honestly I don't know."  
  
"I see, and I don't suppose you'll tell us Sensei?"  
  
"Give him puppy boy and maybe we'll get something out of him." Terazuma suggested.  
  
"Terazuma..." Tatsumi began.  
  
"I know." He sighed.  
  
"Mean!" Tsuzuki growled.  
  
"Aw be quiet Tsuzuki-san." Terazuma glared.  
  
"Don't start." Tatsumi warned.  
  
The two were silent but kept glaring daggers at each other.  
  
"Since there isn't anything for us here, why don't we go?" Wakaba asked.  
  
"Who said we were done?" Tatsumi asked monotone.  
  
Wakaba shrunk behind Terazuma in fear.  
  
"Why?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"We were called here for a reason, were we not Sensei?" Tatsumi inquired.  
  
Muraki put out his cigarette in the ashtray next to him on the floor, then marked his book and closed it, setting it down next to the ashtray. He held his stomach with one hand and stood up slowly, leaning on the wall for support. "Twenty-six. Twenty-three males. Brunettes. Three females. Blonde." He said weakly.  
  
"Hai." Tatsumi confirmed.  
  
"Near Nagasaki Park." He stated.  
  
"Kazu...don't strain yourself." Oriya said as he watched the doctor's actions in concern.  
  
"I'm fine Oriya."  
  
"He speaks." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
"Terazuma, be silent." Tatsumi nearly growled.  
  
"Strange. There isn't any thrill or joy in killing people anymore." Muraki leaned on the wall behind him.  
  
"Is something wrong with your stomach Sensei?" Wakaba asked.  
  
He sighed. "I'm fine." He told her.   
  
"Fine?" Oriya asked, annoyed. "If that's what you call fine."  
  
"Oriya, I really am fine." He assured his friend.  
  
Oriya just rolled his eyes.  
  
"So it was you?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Excellent deduction my dear Tatsumi-san." Muraki blinked slowly.  
  
Tatsumi's eyes flashed dangerously behind his glasses for only a second before returning to their normal state.  
  
"We got what we came for so lets go now." Hisoka growled, trying to pry Tsuzuki off his arm.   
  
"Surely, Sensei, you didn't just call us in here to confess?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
Muraki walked over to his closet and opened it up. He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out the stained gloves from his last kill, then threw them at Tatsumi. "Your proof."  
  
Watari swiped the gloves from Tatsumi's hands and began to look them over. "Blood." He stated.  
  
"Well obviously." Terazuma growled.  
  
"Why turn yourself in so easily? It's not like you." Tatsumi asked.   
  
"The times have changed Tatsumi-san; you should have known that. People change over time, do they not?" He asked.  
  
"Not all the time. Not everyone changes over time." Tatsumi stated.  
  
"Ah, but the average human has to change with time in order to adapt."  
  
"Average? You call yourself the average human?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"No. The average human doesn't live a double life."  
  
"The average human isn't on the verge of death either." Oriya glared at Muraki.  
  
"Oriya!" Muraki hissed.  
  
Everyone stared at the floor; the room was silent.   
  
"You've gotten what you wanted." Muraki said in a whisper. "Get out."  
  
"I do believe we've over stayed our welcome." Tatsumi turned and walked out the door. The others followed behind slowly.  
  
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Next chapter-- 


	5. Drinking

Weee!   
  
Randomness...i do it alot, get used to it.  
  
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"So what do we do now?" Watari asked as they entered JuOhChou.   
  
"Well we found what we needed to know. That's all we can do." Tatsumi told him. "Everyone should get back to their paperwork."  
  
"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Tsuzuki whined.  
  
"Oh you just don't want to do your work." Terazuma growled.  
  
"Shut up Hajime-chan!"  
  
"Why you..."  
  
"Tsuzuki-san, I suppose you're right. It is a little late. Go home." Tatsumi said stepping in front of Terazuma.  
  
"Come on Tsuzuki! Let's go get a few drinks." Watari said grabbing hold of Tsuzuki's arm.  
  
"Yay!" Tsuzuki grinned, bouncing up and down.  
  
Terazuma growled. "I'll go with you. I need to unwind a little."  
  
"Ok. Tatsumi? Bon?" Watari asked.  
  
"No. I have paperwork." Tatsumi declined. "Arigato, for the offer though."  
  
"I'll go with you but I'll only have tea." Hisoka said.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "No alcohol for you!"  
  
Hisoka blushed. "Shut Up Baka!"  
  
"Let's go." Terazuma stated, already out the door.  
  
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Tsuzuki held his glass in the air. "To surviving a meeting with Muraki!" He said drunkenly.  
  
Watari giggled and tapped his glass against Tsuzuki's. "Hai!"  
  
They both downed the contents in their glasses in one quick gulp and slammed them down on the table.  
  
Hisoka stared at them and shook his head. "I think you two have had enough."  
  
Terazuma nodded in agreement. "You should have stopped a few hours ago, before you started giggling like schoolgirls."  
  
"Who are you calling a girl, you shape changing freak?" Tsuzuki asked before falling out of his chair.   
  
"I would have taken that personally if he wasn't so drunk." Terazuma smiled behind his glass.  
  
Tsuzuki stood up, supporting himself with the table. "I'll be back." He told them.  
  
"Where're you going?" Watari asked between giggles.  
  
"I've got to pee." Tsuzuki announced.  
  
"That's nice to know." Terazuma said making a face.  
  
"Hurry up." Watari hiccupped.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled and nodded. "I won't be too long." He then turned and left for the back of the bar where the restrooms were. After he'd finished his business there he ended up going outside to the side ally by accidentally going out the back exit. He wobbled out of the ally and down the street. It was almost pitch-black outside except for a few scattered streetlights. Tsuzuki stared intently at his feet, making sure not to fall over. "They should label those damn doors more better." He mumbled to himself. Suddenly he walked into something and fell over.  
  
"You should really watch where you're going Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"Anou?" Tsuzuki looked up at the shadowed figure towering over him. "Tatsumi?"  
  
The figure shook his head. "Have you been drinking tonight Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Leave me alone Muraki!" Tsuzuki growled.  
  
"You're the one who walked into me Tsuzuki-san." Muraki told him.  
  
"You could have moved."  
  
"I was facing the other direction. I didn't see you." He stated. "Why weren't you watching where you were going?"  
  
"I was trying not to fall over." He said shyly, bowing his head to look at the ground.  
  
"I see." He smiled down at the shinigami at his feet.  
  
"What did Oriya mean?"  
  
Muraki stared down at the other man, startled by the question. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said stiffly.   
  
"When you were talking to Tatsumi," He said. "Oriya said you were on the verge of death. What did he mean?"  
  
"Don't worry yourself about it, Tsuzuki-san." Muraki said extending a hand. "Need some help?"  
  
Tsuzuki took the hand warily and Muraki helped him to his feet.  
  
"You're not out by yourself, are you Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"No. What did he mean?" Tsuzuki asked again.  
  
"You're not worried about me, are you?"  
  
Tsuzuki blushed and looked away. "No."  
  
Muraki smiled. "You're so adorable Tsuzuki-san."  
  
Tsuzuki blushed more and stared at his feet. Suddenly he felt very dizzy and stumbled, he fell forward and Muraki caught him. Tsuzuki was quick to pull away and stand up, a little too quick for he fell over again.  
  
"Come sit down." Muraki draped Tsuzuki's arm over his shoulders and carried him to the nearest bench.   
  
Tsuzuki sat down on the bench and held his head in his hands. "Really dizzy."  
  
"Look at me Tsuzuki-san." Muraki said reaching between the other man's hands and holding his chin gently.  
  
Tsuzuki looked up at him carefully. As soon as he did, a bright light appeared in his right eye. He automatically closed his eyes and pulled away.  
  
"Gomen. I should have warned you." Muraki apologized. "How many drinks have you had tonight, Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Where are your friends? The ones you were with?"   
  
Tsuzuki shook his head.  
  
"I told you no one takes that long in the bathroom, even if they are drunk." Said an angry voice down the street.  
  
"How'd you know he wasn't getting sick or something?" Said another.  
  
"Well he wasn't was he?"  
  
"Tatsumi is going to be pissed if we don't find him. A pissed Tatsumi is not a good thing." Said a third, sounding slightly drunk.  
  
"If it wasn't for Tatsumi I'd say we should leave him."  
  
"Terazuma! That's not very nice."  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault he wandered off!" Terazuma growled.   
  
"When Tatsumi gets here we'll find him."  
  
"Bon! You called him?"  
  
"Watari, he won't be angry. We didn't drive him off or anything. He just wandered off by himself."  
  
"You three obviously haven't looked very far." Came the secretary's voice.  
  
"Eh? Tatsumi?" Watari asked walking toward the voice.  
  
Tatsumi was standing beside the bench where Tsuzuki and Muraki were. "Looks like Sensei found him."  
  
"Muraki!" The three said in unison upon seeing the white doctor.  
  
"I think you should hurry and get Tsuzuki-san home. He's had quite a few drinks and he's starting to feel dizzy." Muraki told them.  
  
"Why'd you flash that damn light in my eye?" Tsuzuki pouted, rubbing his eye. "That hurt."  
  
"Gomen." Muraki leaned over and pulled Tsuzuki's hand away from his eye. "You'll hurt yourself rubbing it like that."  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "You haven't answered my question yet." Tsuzuki said.  
  
Muraki let go of his wrist and turned away. "I should go. I have work in the morning." He began to walk away from the five shinigami. "Get some rest Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"I can't help but wonder what was going through your mind when you killed all those people." Tatsumi said.  
  
Muraki paused in his stride. "Nothing."  
  
"I find that hard to believe."  
  
"As I said before, there isn't any thrill or joy in killing people anymore."  
  
"So why did you do it in the first place?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"I don't really know why. I suppose it was just a...an urge." He told them. "The last one...she worked at a bridal shop. She was waiting for someone, her boyfriend I suppose. I warned her that it was dangerous out that late at night. She didn't listen. She trusted a complete stranger. What would drive a person to do such a thing?"  
  
"Maybe she thought she could defend herself?" Watari said.  
  
"She kept her guard up until I told her I was a doctor. Everyone trusts doctors don't they?"  
  
"They're supposed to." Terazuma said. "I suppose that's why no one ever accuses you of murder, because you're a sensei."  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"You're avoiding my question aren't you?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"No I'm not." Muraki said.  
  
"Then answer me!"  
  
"As I said before, don't worry yourself about it."  
  
"I'm not, I'm just curious."  
  
"Then why so persistent?" He asked gently. "Drop it Tsuzuki-san." He said more sternly and then left.  
  
"Come on Tsuzuki; let's get you home." Hisoka said after a moment of silence.  
  
"How did you end up out here anyway?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"I went out the wrong door." Tsuzuki whispered shyly.  
  
"What happened between you two Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked, draping Tsuzuki's arm over his shoulder and supporting him with his other arm around his waist.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"He didn't do anything to you?" Watari asked.  
  
"He blinded me with a damn light, but that's all." Tsuzuki told them.  
  
"I see, all right then. Let's get you home." Tatsumi smiled at him.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "Arigato Tatsumi."  
  
_________________________________________________  
  
HAHA, Tsuzuki was drunk...I love it!  
  
Just an FYI fro eveyone, there will be no lemon...i would but my family reads over my shoulder sooo....Gomen! 


	6. Questions

This is short and sort of pointless but bare with me!  
  
__________________________________________________________  
  
"Tsuzuki?" Hisoka stepped into the older man's apartment and headed for the bedroom. "Tsuzuki?"  
  
A loud moan came from a large lump of blankets on the bed.  
  
"Get up, baka!" Hisoka growled. "You're late for work!"  
  
"Can't it wait? My head is pounding." Tsuzuki moaned, shoving his head under his pillow.  
  
"That's your own fault now isn't it? If you hadn't of drank so much..."  
  
"I know." He mumbled and sat up. "Go wait in the living room. I'll be along in a minute."  
  
"Take a shower. Tatsumi will understand." Hisoka told him.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "All right."  
  
Hisoka left the room and went to sit on Tsuzuki's couch.  
  
After an hour Tsuzuki and Hisoka left for JuOhChou.  
  
***********************************   
  
"I see Kurosaki-kun finally got you up, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said as they came into the office.  
  
"Good Morning to you too Tatsumi." Tsuzuki moaned.  
  
"Gomen Tsuzuki-san." He smiled. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I have a hang over." He answered.  
  
"As you should, you idiotic drunk." Terazuma said as he passed them.  
  
"Shut up, you shape changing freak." Tsuzuki growled.  
  
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He mumbled.  
  
"Please don't start Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi pleaded. "We just finished fixing the repairs from the last time you two fought."  
  
"Oh all right Tatsumi."   
  
Tatsumi turned to go into his office.  
  
"Tatsumi?"  
  
"Hai? What is it Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi smiled at his fellow co-worker.  
  
"May I talk to you?"  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "Come into my office." Tatsumi opened the door and waited for Tsuzuki to go in first. Tsuzuki walked in and sat in one of the chairs facing Tatsumi's desk. Tatsumi closed the door and sat opposite him. "Is there something wrong Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Well..." He hesitated, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Would you mind if I went first?" Tatsumi asked politely.  
  
"No." Tsuzuki shook his head.  
  
"About last night..." He paused to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "May I ask what happened between you and Sensei, or don't you remember?"  
  
"I told you Tatsumi, nothing happened."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "Positive."  
  
"You asked him a question he wouldn't answer?"  
  
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"At our meeting with Oriya and Muraki at the KoKakuRou, Oriya said that Muraki was on the verge of death. What do you suppose he meant by that?"  
  
"Maybe Sensei was in an accident or something." Tatsumi stated logically. "Or perhaps he's sick."  
  
"He seemed fine to me." Tsuzuki pointed out.  
  
"At the KoKakuRou, when he stood up, he supported himself on the wall and he was holding his stomach, or his side, I'm not positive." Tatsumi told him.  
  
"How could he have gotten hurt?" Tsuzuki asked. "He's like..." He paused in thought. "Invincible."  
  
Tatsumi nodded and made a noise of agreement. "I know. It just doesn't seem to fit."  
  
The room went silent for a moment.   
  
"Anyway, I don't think it's any of our concern." Tatsumi stood from his chair. "Don't worry about it Tsuzuki-san. If he wanted us to know he would have told us."  
  
"Tatsumi?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Why do you think...I'm so worried about him? I mean, don't I hate Muraki?"  
  
Tatsumi brushed the hair out of Tsuzuki's eyes. "You're just a good person Tsuzuki-san. That's all." He smiled.  
  
Tsuzuki blushed. A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.  
  
"Something wrong Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked as he watched the action.  
  
Tsuzuki stood up and smiled. "No. Ruka used to say that to me though. Arigato Tatsumi." He then turned and left.  
  
________________________________________________________  
  
I 3 Muraki, Tsuzuki, and Tatsumi! 


	7. Answers and Secrets

Wah! Gengkotsuya, please don't hurt me! Here is your update!  
  
______________________________________________  
  
"Tsuzuki-san? Where are you going?" Tatsumi asked upon seeing Tsuzuki getting ready to leave.  
  
"I finished my paperwork. Hope you don't mind if I step out early?" Tsuzuki smiled hopefully.  
  
"You finished?" Tatsumi asked quirking an eyebrow.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded vigorously. "I left them on your desk."  
  
"Well, all right then."  
  
"Arigato Tatsumi!" The violet eyed shinigami smiled happily and bounced out of the office.  
  
"You don't actually believe him do you?" Terazuma asked.  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "I just wonder where he's going." He then turned and disappeared into his office.  
  
****************************************  
  
'Why am I doing this again?' Tsuzuki asked himself. He walked through the white, electronic doors and into a large waiting room, which was painted white also.  
  
"May I help you?" Asked a woman in a nurse's uniform behind a counter.  
  
"Is Muraki-sensei working today?"  
  
"Hai. Do you have an appointment?" She asked.  
  
"No. But I just need to talk to him." Tsuzuki told her.  
  
"Gomen but without an appointment that's not possible. Sensei has been very busy lately."  
  
"I won't take too long. I promise."  
  
"Gomen sir. But would you like to make an appointment?"  
  
"No, that's all right." He smiled. He heard sobbing coming from down the hall. He turned to see a woman walking towards him; her face was stained with tears. "Anou, Miss? Are you all right?" He asked her warily.  
  
She sniffled and smiled at him. "Hai. I'm fine." She looked him over carefully. "Have we met?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Oh, anou is your name Tsuzuki?" She asked.  
  
"Hai. Have we met?" He asked.  
  
"No." She giggled. "But I've heard a lot about you." She extended her hand. "My name is Ukyou."  
  
He took her hand and shook it gently. "Nice to meet you." He smiled.  
  
"You really are cute when you smile." She grinned.  
  
Tsuzuki blushed. "Excuse me?"  
  
"And you are even cuter when you blush." She giggled.  
  
Tsuzuki's blush deepened. "Anou..."  
  
"Gomen." She apologized. "Kazutaka told me about you."  
  
"Oh!" Tsuzuki nodded. "Muraki talks about me?"  
  
She nodded. "Hai! He talks about you quite a lot actually." She giggled. "It's kind of like he likes you." She smiled. "But that couldn't be. You're both men after all!"  
  
Tsuzuki began to laugh nervously. "Hai!"  
  
"Exactly that's ridiculous." She smiled.  
  
"Why were you crying Ukyou-san?"  
  
"Well, to tell the truth..." She sniffled. "I got a new job offer in another part of Japan. When I told Kazutaka about it we had an argument and we...well, we're no longer together."  
  
"Oh Ukyou-san, are you all right?" He asked hugging her warily.  
  
She buried her face in his coat and balled her fists on his sleeves. "I suppose it's for the better." She choked out between sobs. "I never really knew him all that well. We hardly ever get to see each other, what with our jobs and all."  
  
"It'll be all right." He assured her.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek lightly. "Arigato Tsuzuki-san." She smiled.  
  
"Not a problem." He blushed.  
  
"I should go. Sayonara." She grinned and left.  
  
"Sayonara!" Tsuzuki yelled out the door.  
  
"She's sweet, isn't she?"  
  
"Anou?" Tsuzuki turned around.   
  
Muraki stood in the hall a few feet away. "What are you doing here Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"I...I...c-came to talk to you." He stuttered.   
  
"All right then. We can talk in my office. Follow me, Tsuzuki-san." He turned and began walking down the hall.   
  
Tsuzuki hurried to catch up. He followed Muraki into the elevator. Once the doors were closed Tsuzuki slumped against the nearest wall.   
  
"What is this about Tsuzuki-san?" The white doctor asked calmly.  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were doing."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
"I wanted to ask you a few questions."  
  
"I see."  
  
"I won't leave until I have the answers I want." Tsuzuki said sternly.  
  
"You're very persistent, Tsuzuki-san. Has anyone ever told you that?" Muraki smiled.  
  
Tsuzuki didn't answer. He just stared at the elevator doors in silence.  
  
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Tsuzuki let Muraki take the lead. Tsuzuki was escorted through a door and into an office labeled 'Sensei Muraki, Kazutaka.'  
  
"Have a seat." Muraki offered as he closed and locked the door behind them.  
  
"Thanks, I'll stand." He declined.   
  
"All right then." Muraki shrugged and sat down in the chair behind his desk. "What can I do for you, Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Answer my questions truthfully."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"What did Oriya mean?" Tsuzuki asked calmly.  
  
Muraki sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Tsuzuki-san, we've talked about this."  
  
"I want to know."  
  
Muraki was quiet.  
  
Tsuzuki gathered up his courage and walked over to the white doctor. He gripped the arms of the chair and pushed it so Muraki was leaning all the way back, then leaned over until they were face to face. "I want to know."  
  
"Curiosity killed the cat, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"I'm not curious! I'm worried about you!"  
  
Muraki's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
Tsuzuki froze at the realization of what he'd just said.  
  
The room fell into complete silence except for the sound of light rain on the windows. Finally Tsuzuki pulled away slowly. The two men just stared at each other. Suddenly there was a ringing and Tsuzuki fished around in his coat to find his cell phone. Tsuzuki cleared his throat. "Hello?"  
  
"Tsuzuki-san? Where are you?" Asked the voice on the other end. "Kurosaki-kun says he stopped by your apartment before he went home and you weren't there."  
  
"No Tatsumi. I'm fine."  
  
"Well where are you?"  
  
"Nowhere special. Just taking a walk is all." Tsuzuki lied.  
  
"Oh all right then. Call Kurosaki-kun, will you? He's worried about you."  
  
"Okay, Tatsumi. I'll call him."  
  
"You be careful Tsuzuki-san, all right?"  
  
"Okay. Bye."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
Tsuzuki hung up and redialed the phone to call Hisoka.  
  
"Hello?" Came the voice on the other end.  
  
"Watari? Why are you at Hisoka's? Or did I call the wrong number?"  
  
"No you got the right number Tsuzuki. We're just visiting. Hold on a second." There was a sound of muffled voices and moving around.  
  
"Hey Tsuzuki."  
  
"Hi Hisoka. Tatsumi told me to call you?"  
  
"Hai. Where are you?" Hisoka asked, monotone.   
  
"Taking a walk."  
  
"Where are you Tsuzuki?" Hisoka's voice sounded a little aggravated.  
  
"In the park, near the hospital. Why? I can take care of myself you know."  
  
"Baka." Hisoka snorted. "You should have told someone where you were going."  
  
"I know. Gomen."  
  
"TSUZUKI!" Watari had apparently stolen the phone from Hisoka for he was now in control. "How are you Tsuzuki?"  
  
"I'm fine. Watari, are you drunk?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"Hai! Very!"  
  
Tsuzuki laughed. "Slow down Watari. From the sound of it I think you've had enough."  
  
"No! Not enough!" Watari began giggling and Tsuzuki could hear 003 chirping in the background.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hajime-chan?"  
  
"Hai." He growled. "Don't call me that."  
  
"Gomen."  
  
"How much longer are you going to be?"  
  
"Why? Do you miss me Terazuma?" Tsuzuki taunted.  
  
"Not the slightest bit." Terazuma answered.  
  
"Then why so eager to know when I'll be coming back?"  
  
"Watari is starting to annoy the hell out of me."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Just hurry back baka!" Then the line went dead.   
  
Tsuzuki hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He took a deep breath and turned back towards Muraki. "Gomen."  
  
"It's all right." He assured him quietly. "If you're so worried, it's even better if you don't know."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense."  
  
"I'm confused Tsuzuki-san, I thought you hated me?"  
  
"I don't...I don't understand it either." He said shyly, staring at the floor. Tsuzuki, once again, regained his courage and pushed back Muraki's chair, leaning over until they were face to face. "I'm not leaving without an answer. Stop avoiding my question!"  
  
Muraki sunk his head into the headrest of his chair in order to focus better on the angry violet-eyed shinigami in front of him. "Really, I think it's better if you didn't know."  
  
"Just tell me!"  
  
"Oriya doesn't like you."  
  
Tsuzuki looked at him, puzzled. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"Kyoto."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"When you stabbed me. Do you remember?"  
  
"Hai." Tsuzuki was barely audible, Muraki only heard him because they were so close.  
  
"It was fairly deep. It left a mark. I don't have as much energy as I used to. I'm a little weaker." He smiled. "Just because of that, Oriya thinks I'm dying. He was over exaggerating."  
  
"G-Gomen." He apologized quietly, dropping his head.  
  
"Forget about it Tsuzuki-san. I'm all right now." He looked at the top of Tsuzuki's head. "I didn't want to tell you."  
  
"I'm glad you did though."  
  
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"  
  
"Why?" Tsuzuki rasped.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why did you…"  
  
"Kill those people?"  
  
Tsuzuki nodded silently.  
  
"I don't know." He smiled. "But you now have my word, I won't do it again."  
  
Tsuzuki suddenly looked up, puzzled once again. "Nani?"  
  
"I promise I won't kill again Tsuzuki-san." He paused. "Well not purposely at least, I am a doctor after all. These things happen." Muraki was caught off guard when Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and hugged him tightly. "Anou..?"  
  
"I'm so happy to hear that! Although I am a little skeptical."  
  
"That's all right I understand." Muraki smiled and wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's back warily; not sure of the reaction he might get in response.  
  
Unfortunately the response was one neither of them expected. Before Tsuzuki realized it, his lips were on the doctor's. His eyes shot open and he stared into the other man's open eyes, unmoving from his position. Quickly he pushed away and nearly flew to the opposite side of the room. Both were speechless for several moments.  
  
"...That was...unexpected." Muraki broke the silence.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "I...I don't know why...I just did that."  
  
"Probably just caught up in the moment?" Muraki offered.  
  
"Hai. That's probably it." He smiled faintly.  
  
Muraki stood from his chair. "I'll unlock the door for you, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
'Why did I do that? I couldn't possibly have feelings for Muraki...could I?' Tsuzuki watched as Muraki walked towards him to open the door. As the doctor neared, an impulse took over him. He grabbed Muraki and threw him up against the door; he ignored the bewildered look on the doctor's face and leaned into him, locking his mouth in a passionate kiss.  
  
__________________________________________  
  
Weee! I 3 Muraki/Tsuzuki although this was a little stupid... 


	8. Keeping A Secret

This chapter may seem pointless but it's esential to the story so bare with me!  
  
___________________________________________  
  
The purple-eyed shinigami bounced into the office, as was his usual routine. Hisoka looked up briefly from his work to notice as his partner came in. Tsuzuki dropped into his chair and smiled at his partner. Soon after, Watari, Tatsumi, and Terazuma came in the room.  
  
"Good morning Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said.  
  
"Morning Tsuzuki!" Watari grinned.  
  
Terazuma just grunted.  
  
"Good morning!" Tsuzuki smiled, genuinely.  
  
"You're awfully happy Tsuzuki." Watari observed.  
  
"What happened to you last night Tsuzuki?" Hisoka asked, accusation in his voice.  
  
"Me? Why?"   
  
"You never stopped by like you said you would."  
  
"Oh! Gomen. It must have slipped my mind." Tsuzuki looked at his hands.   
  
"We all tried to call you. You didn't answer at your apartment or your cell phone." Tatsumi told him.  
  
"I unplugged the one at home because I've been getting a lot of prank calls and sales people calling me lately."  
  
"And your cell?" He asked.  
  
"I guess I didn't hear it. Or maybe my battery died." He fished through his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He nodded. "Dead battery."  
  
"Tsuzuki-san weren't you wearing those clothes yesterday?" Terazuma asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"No I wasn't wearing these clothes yesterday, Hajime-chan." Tsuzuki shot back.  
  
"Actually, Tsuzuki-san, I think you were. What time did you get home last night?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Tsuzuki-san where were you last night, really?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I took a walk. I already told you that."  
  
"Where did you go on your walk?"  
  
"Around the park...I think that's it, maybe around town too."  
  
"When we talked last night, you told me you were passing the hospital." Hisoka spoke up.  
  
"So?"  
  
"The hospital? You didn't see Sensei, by any chance, did you?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
'Stop asking me questions! Leave me alone!' Tsuzuki's mind shouted at them. "I might have passed by him or something but I didn't see him." Tsuzuki lied.  
  
"Are you sure? Not even a hello or something?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"No." 'Can't...' "I've got work to do."  
  
"You finished your paperwork yesterday, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi informed him.  
  
He stood, refusing to look at them. "Wakaba-chan asked me to help her with her work. She says she can't work fast enough to keep up with the pile, which just seems to get three papers taller after she finishes one." He paused at the door. "I agreed to help her since I had finished yesterday."  
  
"All right then, Tsuzuki-san. We still have questions to ask of you."  
  
"I'm old enough to take care of myself." Tsuzuki said coldly.  
  
"Yea sure. You really showed your maturity in Kyoto." Terazuma grunted.  
  
"That was selfish of me, I know. But was it really immature?" Then, without an answer, he left, closing the door behind him.  
  
"What's with him?" Terazuma snorted.  
  
"Something happened to him yesterday, something he's not telling us." Tatsumi stared at the door.  
  
"Or something he won't tell us." Watari said.  
  
Tatsumi nodded in agreement. "Kurosaki-kun, did you get anything from him?"  
  
"He was lying." Hisoka told them. "About where he was...and I think seeing Muraki too."  
  
"What do you think Muraki did to him?" Watari asked.  
  
"Who knows, but whatever it is...Tsuzuki-san must be ashamed." Tatsumi shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
"You don't think...that Muraki..." Hisoka hesitated, afraid to say it.  
  
Tatsumi knew just what the boy was thinking. "It's possible." He nodded sadly. "I'm afraid it is possible."  
  
"With Tsuzuki's state lately..." Watari began.  
  
"He's been getting better though!" Hisoka protested.  
  
"He still hasn't been the same since Kyoto." Watari told the young, green-eyed shinigami.  
  
"I suppose so." Hisoka agreed in defeat.  
  
********************************************  
  
"Arigato again Tsuzuki-chan! I really appreciate this." Wakaba grinned at the older shinigami by her side.  
  
"Not a problem, Wakaba-chan. I'm happy to help." He smiled happily at her.  
  
"It's only been an hour or two and already we're almost done." She said, referring to the large stack of finished papers at her side.  
  
The door opened and Terazuma grunted as he came into the room.  
  
"Konichiwa Hajime-chan!" Wakaba greeted.  
  
Terazuma lit up a cigarette as he sat at his desk. "They know you were lying."  
  
"Nani?" Wakaba asked.  
  
"Not you, Kannuki." Terazuma told her.   
  
"Oh. All right." She smiled. "I'll go drop these off in Tatsumi-san's office. Be right back." Wakaba smiled and ran out of the office with a stack of papers.  
  
"So what happened to you anyway?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
"I don't." He said casually.  
  
"Then why'd you ask?"  
  
"Just curious I suppose." He told him, blowing out a puff of smoke as he spoke.  
  
"Tsuzuki?" Hisoka poked his head in the door.  
  
"Kurosaki? What are you doing here?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Looking for Tsuzuki."  
  
"I'm busy Hisoka...and I don't feel like talking." Tsuzuki said monotone.  
  
Hisoka stepped into the room and sat in the chair next to his partner. "What happened with Muraki last night?"  
  
"I told you." Terazuma said, reclining in his chair.  
  
Tsuzuki glared at Terazuma for a moment. "Shut up you shape changing freak!" He turned back to the paperwork in front of him. "Nothing happened." He grunted.  
  
"Terazuma-san, could you leave please?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"This is my goddamn office!" He paused. "Fine." He stood from his chair and left.  
  
"Tsuzuki, please tell me. I just want to help." Hisoka pleaded.  
  
"I told you, nothing happened."  
  
"Your lying, Tsuzuki."  
  
"Leave me alone!" Tsuzuki shouted, standing from his chair. "I'm old enough to take care of myself! Why don't you trust me?"  
  
"But I do trust you!"  
  
"I'm going for a walk." He threw on his coat and left. 


	9. Visiting

OMG! I just realized that the titles of my chapters are really really stupid.  
  
:::SHRUGS::: Oh well...  
  
________________________________________________  
  
"So what do we do Tatsumi?" Watari asked.  
  
"We're going to pay Sensei a visit." He informed them. "We'll try the hospital first."  
  
And so in the next instant they were in the ally beside the hospital where Muraki worked.   
  
"Let's go." Tatsumi said, taking the lead into the large building. Watari, Hisoka, and Terazuma follow close behind. Tatsumi walked strait to the front desk where a woman in a white nurses uniform sat. "Is Muraki-sensei in today?"  
  
"I believe so, although I haven't seen him yet today. Would you like me to check?"  
  
"Please. If you wouldn't mind." Tatsumi replied kindly.  
  
She smiled at him, then picked up the phone at her side, and dialed a number. "Good Morning Sensei. You have some visitors, should I send them up to your office?" She paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "All right, Sensei. Goodbye." She set the phone back in its cradle. "You'll have to wait until he calls back. He's with someone right now."  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, do you happen to know whom he's with?"  
  
"Well if he's in his office then he can't be with a patient." She reasoned. "I don't remember anyone else coming to see him unless they snuck past me on my break a few minutes ago." She paused in thought. "No wait. Ukyou stopped by very early this morning but she was only here for about five minutes, so then it couldn't be her." She paused again. "There was another person...a man. He was here last night too. He never said what his name was though." The phone rang and she answered. "Okay. Bye." She hung up. "He'll see you now." She gave them directions to Muraki's office and sent them on their way.  
  
Tatsumi knocked on the door gently.  
  
"Come in." was the reply on the other side.  
  
Tatsumi opened the door and stepped in.  
  
The space around Muraki's desk was cluttered with papers and other junk, as if someone had pushed everything off in a hurry. The doctor himself was knelt down on the floor, with his back to them, picking up some of the papers. "May I help you with something, Tatsumi-san?" He asked.  
  
Hisoka, being the last to enter the room, closed the door behind him. He mumbled something under his breath about the smell of the room.  
  
"Yea what the hell is that smell?" Terazuma asked, obviously having heard the young boy.  
  
"Terazuma! Kurosaki-kun!" Tatsumi snapped.  
  
"Gomen." Terazuma apologized.  
  
Hisoka was silent and stayed by the door incase he needed a quick escape.  
  
"We need to ask you a few questions, Sensei. If you don't mind?"  
  
"And no tricks." Terazuma growled.  
  
"What do you need to know?" Muraki asked, still gathering papers from the floor.  
  
"It's about Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi began. "We know he saw you last night but he won't tell us what happened between the two of you."  
  
"Your point being?"  
  
"Would you mind telling us what happened?"  
  
"He came to see me last night and ask me a few questions, that's all."  
  
"What exactly happened?" Watari asked.  
  
"I already told you."  
  
"What did he ask you?" Tatsumi asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"He wanted to know how I was doing."  
  
"Really?" Tatsumi asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Hai. Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"Not to offend you, but why would Tsuzuki care about you?" Watari asked.  
  
"I don't know. To be honest he says he didn't know why either." The man in white told them.  
  
"Tell us exactly what went on here last night."  
  
"Tsuzuki told me that he wanted to talk to me, I brought him up here so we might have some privacy. I offered him a seat but he refused. Then he began asking me questions. His first one was one I've talked to him about and refused to answer, for his own safety."  
  
"He asked you what Oriya meant?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Hai. I told him not to...I told him to forget about it. He was very persistent, I finally ended up telling him and I can't say he was pleased with the answer. I didn't want to tell him. I don't know about you but I'd rather not repeat what happened in Kyoto." He paused for reactions or interruptions but there were none. "He asked me a few more questions about the murders and what I'd been up to lately, and I answered them all truthfully as he had asked me to. He told me he had other things to talk to me about but couldn't remember them at the time. I told him to sit and relax for a while and think about it, so he stretched out on that couch over there in the corner, after a while I realized he'd fallen asleep." Silence. "Oh and I promised him I wouldn't kill again. He is skeptical but happy still."  
  
"I see. There wouldn't be anything you're leaving out, is there Sensei?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I don't believe so." He paused. "Feel free to ask me anything."  
  
"If Tsuzuki fell asleep in the presence of you, why did he come to work all happy, bouncy, skipping, and crap?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"I don't know, maybe he had a good dream or something." Muraki suggested.  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "Kurosaki-kun?"  
  
"Lying." He said simply and quietly.  
  
"Well Sensei?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I don't think it's any of your business, Tatsumi-san." Muraki growled slightly.  
  
"And why not?" He walked around the doctor and knelt down on the floor in front of him. He got as close as possible to the doctor's face, an angry expression on his own face. "What did you do to Tsuzuki?" He nearly growled.  
  
"I didn't do anything to him." He stood up and set the papers in his arm down on his desk. "But if you'd like to know what Tsuzuki-san did to me..."  
  
There was a light knock on the door. "Sensei? You have a few visitors waiting for you downstairs." Said a nurse at the now open door.  
  
"Who is it?" Muraki asked her.  
  
"Miss Ukyou, a man, and three little girls." She answered.  
  
"A man and three little girls?" He questioned.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Okay. I'll be down in a moment."  
  
"All right, Sensei." She smiled and left, leaving the door open behind her.  
  
"What did you mean?" Tatsumi said gruffly.   
  
"I believe I have visitors, Tatsumi-san." He said simply. "It would be rude not to see them." He headed for the door.  
  
Terazuma grabbed his arm roughly, stopping him. "We were your visitors first, and I believe you should be a nice host and answer our questions."  
  
Muraki pulled his arm away and glared at the man for a moment. "If I remember correctly, I never invited you, and I never agreed to answer any of your questions."  
  
"You'll tell us what we want to know Sensei." Terazuma stated, demandingly.  
  
"I have visitors waiting for me downstairs." The doctor said calmly. He then left the office. The shinigami followed.  
  
"...But Tsuzuki-chan!"  
  
"I don't think Hisoka will really appreciate it, Saya." Tsuzuki protested.  
  
"But it would be so pretty on him!"  
  
"That's just it. He's a boy, Saya. Boys don't wear dresses, especially pink frilly ones." Tsuzuki smiled.  
  
"Aw!" Saya pouted.  
  
"Keep it for yourself. You'll look really pretty in it, Saya. You too, Yuma."  
  
"Do you really think so, Tsuzuki-chan?" Yuma asked.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded.  
  
"I agree with Tsuzuki-san." Ukyou smiled. "Either of you would look good in that dress."  
  
"Arigato, Ukyou-san!" Yuma grinned.  
  
"Hai! Arigato." Saya agreed, clinging to Tsuzuki's waist.  
  
"Anou, Tsuzuki-san. How are you doing?" Muraki asked.  
  
"Nani?" He looked to the voice. "Muraki. I'm fine, you?"  
  
"The same." He smiled. "Ukyou, what are you doing here? I thought your plane left a few hours ago?"  
  
"I've delayed it." She said simply.   
  
"HISOKA-KUN!" Yuma squeaked.  
  
"Hisoka-san!" Saya sung.  
  
Hisoka's eyes widened as Yuma ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. Saya stayed where she was, clinging to Tsuzuki's waist.  
  
Ukyou giggled at the scene. "You have quite a lot of energy, don't you Yuma?"  
  
Yuma nodded and clung tighter to Hisoka. "Tsuzuki-chan took us shopping!" Yuma explained to the young boy in her arms. "We bought you something but Tsuzuki-chan told us to keep it for ourselves."  
  
"Get...OFF!" Hisoka growled, trying to pry off the girl, which had a death grip around his neck and shoulders.  
  
"Aw Yuma let Hisoka-kun go. You'll hurt him!" Wakaba scolded, suddenly appearing at Tsuzuki's side.  
  
"But I haven't seen him in so long!" Yuma protested, tightening her grip.  
  
"Well...let him go and show him what we bought!" Wakaba suggested.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "That's a good idea Wakaba. I'm sure Hisoka would rather breathe and look at all the stuff we bought then not breathe and never know."   
  
"Hai!" Yuma released Hisoka and ran to the hundreds of bags surrounding Tsuzuki's feet. "Where to start?" She pondered.  
  
"How about those chocolates?" Tsuzuki suggested.  
  
"You're hungry aren't you Tsuzuki-chan?" Yuma smiled up at him.  
  
He blushed slightly. "A little." He admitted.  
  
She giggled. "All right where is it?"  
  
Tsuzuki shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"We missed you a lot, Tsuzuki-chan." Saya said, hugging his waist tighter.  
  
He set his hand on her head and smiled. "I missed you two too."   
  
"Such a sweet tooth, Tsuzuki-san." Muraki smiled at him.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled shyly, a small blush floated across his face.  
  
"Oh you like sweets Tsuzuki-san?" Ukyou asked.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Likes them? That isn't even the half of it." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
"Quiet, Hajime-chan!" Tsuzuki hissed. "Who asked for your opinion anyway?"  
  
"Baka." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
"Hey!" Saya squeaked.  
  
"You called me that last night too! Just before you hung up on me!" Tsuzuki pulled away from Saya and walked up to Terazuma.  
  
"Baka." Terazuma said slowly.  
  
"Kisama!" Tsuzuki growled.  
  
"Kisama? Why you..."  
  
"Tsuzuki? Is that you?" Came a voice.  
  
They both turned toward the sound of the voice.  
  
"Hijiri?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
The boy ran over and hugged Tsuzuki.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Tsuzuki smiled.  
  
"Visiting a friend." He answered, letting go of Tsuzuki. "How are you?"  
  
"Great!" Tsuzuki grinned. "You?"  
  
"Things are a lot better now." He assured him.  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
Saya appeared, latched onto Tsuzuki's waist again. "Who's this Tsuzuki-chan?"  
  
"Minase Hijiri." Tsuzuki told her.  
  
"Oh!" She exclaimed in recognition. "The Saagatanus case." She whispered.   
  
"And cute little Otonashi Kazusa. The little girl who called Tsuzuki-chan old." Yuma explained.  
  
Tsuzuki slumped visibly and frowned.  
  
"Aw Tsuzuki-chan you're not old!" Yuma squeaked, trying to comfort him. "I didn't mean it! Gomen nasai, Tsuzuki-chan! Please don't be sad."  
  
Tsuzuki whimpered, ignoring her comments.  
  
Saya hugged him tighter. "Cheer up Tsuzuki-chan!"  
  
"I've never seen anyone so sensitive about their age." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
"Tsuzuki-chan, here have a chocolate!" Wakaba said, holding out a box of chocolates for him.  
  
Tsuzuki instantly perked up and grinned happily. He grabbed one of the small chocolates and popped it into his mouth. "Arigato Wakaba-chan!" He hugged her.  
  
"Hey! Hug your own partner puppy boy!" Terazuma yelled.  
  
"Jeez. Jealous much?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
Terazuma growled, an evil glint in his eye.  
  
"Terazuma. Tsuzuki-san. Stop it now!" Tatsumi scolded.  
  
Tsuzuki shrunk behind Wakaba, Saya, and Yuma. "Gomen Tatsumi." Tsuzuki whimpered.  
  
"Gomen." Terazuma mumbled, glaring at Tsuzuki.  
  
"I got to get home Tsuzuki. I'll see you another time?" Hijiri asked, heading for the door.  
  
"Hai!" Tsuzuki grinned. "Sayonara Hijiri!"  
  
"Sayonara Tsuzuki!" Hijiri yelled out behind him before disappearing outside.  
  
"Well...I suppose I should get going as well." Ukyou announced, picking her purse up from one of the chairs. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Tsuzuki-san." She smiled and left.  
  
Everyone stared at Tsuzuki as he blushed furiously.  
  
"I almost forgot about your date, Tsuzuki-chan!" Yuma grinned.  
  
"We have to go shopping and buy you some clothes for tomorrow!" Saya announced.   
  
Yuma nodded. "We'll get you something sure to get you some action!" Yuma grinned.  
  
"No! It's not a date!" Tsuzuki protested, blushing even more deeply.  
  
"Of course it is Tsuzuki-chan! You're going to dinner and a movie!" Saya grinned deviously. "And maybe more if it goes right. Ne, Tsuzuki-chan?"  
  
He blushed even deeper, if possible. "No! No! It's a not a date! We're going to a play is all!"  
  
"And dinner, don't forget that!" Wakaba smiled.  
  
"Hai, but it's not a date!"  
  
"Oh come on! Stop denying it Tsuzuki-chan! It is so a date!" Saya scolded lightly.  
  
"Calm down, Tsuzuki-san. If you say it's not a date, then it's not a date." Muraki assured him.  
  
"Eh?" Tsuzuki looked at the doctor. "Gomen nasai, Muraki. I forgot you were there. You've been so quiet."  
  
"That and he hasn't groped you in the last few minutes we've been here." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
Muraki glared at Terazuma momentarily and then his eyes softened as he looked to Tsuzuki. "It's all right, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"Come on, Tsuzuki-chan! Let's got shopping for tomorrow night!" Saya and Yuma said in unison, clutching Tsuzuki's arms and dragging him towards the door.  
  
"But..." He protested.  
  
"Come on Wakaba!" Yuma chirped.  
  
"Okay." Wakaba followed.  
  
"Can you take our bags to the office?" Wakaba asked the others.  
  
"Hai. We'll take care of them." Tatsumi told her.  
  
"Arigato." Wakaba bowed slightly and ran after Saya, Yuma, and their reluctant captive Tsuzuki.  
  
"We should go." Tatsumi announced.  
  
"Damn that's a lot of bags." Terazuma mumbled, eyeing the bags cluttering the floor.  
  
"We'll be back. We haven't finished our conversation yet, Sensei." Tatsumi said.  
  
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't bother me at work again." Muraki told him.  
  
"We'll see what happens." Tatsumi said, picking up a few bags.   
  
"I have to get back to the lab and feed 003." Watari announced. "So I think we should hurry."  
  
"Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Nani?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"You've been awfully quiet. Are you all right?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Okay then, let's go." Tatsumi headed for the door. "Sayonara, Sensei." 


	10. Going Out

I don't know much about Ukyou so...I'm sorry if I get anything wrong.  
  
_____________________________________________  
  
Tsuzuki fidgeted in his new suit as he sat on the bench. 'I don't know why I let Saya and Yuma talk me into wearing this suit.'   
  
"Tsuzuki-san, you're right on time."  
  
Tsuzuki stood. "Konichiwa Ukyou."  
  
"Well are you ready to go?"  
  
They began walking. "If you don't mind Ukyou, since you're paying for the play, I'd like to pay for dinner."   
  
"Oh Tsuzuki-san you don't have to..." She told him.  
  
"I want to."  
  
"All right, if you insist. You're very persistent, Tsuzuki-san. Has anyone ever told you that?" She asked.  
  
Tsuzuki paused in his stride.   
  
Ukyou spun around and looked at him curiously. "Something wrong Tsuzuki-san? Was it something I said?"  
  
"No. You didn't say anything wrong, Ukyou." Tsuzuki smiled. "Someone has said that to me before. Rather recently actually."  
  
"Oh. Let's hurry to the play now." Ukyou smiled back.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded and followed.  
  
***********************  
  
"That was wonderful, don't you think Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Hai. It was really good." He agreed.  
  
"And the food here is delicious!" Ukyou exclaimed.  
  
"Hai, and we haven't even gotten to the meal yet." Tsuzuki said, finishing off his salad.  
  
"Your dinner." The waiter announced, setting the plate of food in front of Tsuzuki and taking away his salad bowl. He then did the same to Ukyou, bowed, and left.  
  
"Oh it looks so good!" Ukyou exclaimed.  
  
"Hai!" Tsuzuki agreed.  
  
Ukyou sipped her wine. "This is some of the best wine I've ever tasted."  
  
"I'd have to say the same of this steak." Tsuzuki grinned.  
  
"So Tsuzuki-san, tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you work?"  
  
"Me? I...I'm a detective." He told her.  
  
"How old are you?" She asked.  
  
"N...Twenty-six." He caught himself. "What about you?"  
  
She swallowed the food in her mouth and washed it down with some of her wine. "Thirty-one. The same age as Kazutaka." She told him.  
  
"I didn't know Muraki was thirty-one."  
  
She giggled. "How long have you known Kazutaka?"  
  
"A few years but we don't get to really talk much because of our jobs."  
  
"What do you know about him?" Ukyou asked.  
  
"Not much." He confessed, blushing slightly.  
  
"Do you at least know about his brother?" She asked.  
  
"Brother? I didn't know he had a brother."  
  
"Well, half brother actually." She corrected herself. "He was...what's the word... Conceived only a few months before Kazutaka himself. I honestly don't know much about him but he was killed shortly after Kazutaka met him."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I believe his name was Shindo Saki." She told him.  
  
"Oh that reminds me. Do you happen to know where Muraki lives? I need to give him something I borrowed and I don't have time to stop at the hospital." He lied.  
  
"Hai, I do." She fished around in her purse and pulled out a pen and paper, she wrote something on the paper and handed it to Tsuzuki. "There you go." She smiled.  
  
"Arigato." He thanked her, stuffing the paper into his pants pocket.  
  
"You're welcome." She paused. "Is that a new suit Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Hai. Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba took me shopping after you left the other day."  
  
"They have good taste."  
  
He blushed lightly. "Hai. They do."  
  
"The blue really brings out the color in your eyes."  
  
"A-Arigato." He blushed deeper.  
  
"I've never seen anyone with that eye color before, it's very pretty."  
  
"Not everyone thinks so." He mumbled.  
  
"Excuse me?" She questioned.  
  
"No. Never mind. Arigato." He smiled. "That dress is very pretty on you, Ukyou."  
  
"Arigato, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
They talked a bit more as they finished their meal and then left the restaurant. Tsuzuki walked Ukyou to her car.  
  
"Arigato, Tsuzuki-san. I had a lot of fun tonight." Ukyou smiled sweetly.  
  
"Hai, me too." Tsuzuki agreed. "The play was wonderful."  
  
"Dinner was good too." She told him. She opened the door to her car and threw her purse into the passengers' seat. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Tsuzuki's cheek softly. "Goodnight, Tsuzuki." She smiled gently at him once more before getting in her car and driving away.  
  
**************************  
  
The house was a lot bigger then he had expected it to be. He walked to the front door and knocked. The sound of footsteps could be heard inside the house. The door opened to reveal the white doctor without his suit's jacket or tie, and his shirt un-tucked from his pants.  
  
"Oh hello. What are you doing here Tsuzuki?"  
  
Tsuzuki didn't move for a moment. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the doctor's waist; he then buried his face in the crock of the other man's neck.   
  
"Tsuzuki? Is there something wrong?" He asked, wrapping his arms around the purple-eyed shinigami. "Oh. Is your time out with Ukyou over with already?"  
  
"It wasn't a date." He mumbled into Muraki's neck.  
  
"I didn't say it was." He said as he closed the door.  
  
"I didn't think it was." He told him. "She...kissed me."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"It was just my cheek, but still. I feel bad." He admitted.  
  
"She's moving away. You won't see her again so she was probably just saying goodbye to a friend." He assured him.  
  
"You think so?" He asked hesitantly.  
  
"Hai." He said. He kissed Tsuzuki's exposed neck lightly. "Are you all right now?"  
  
"Hai." He mumbled. "I am now..."  
  
________________________________________________  
  
What do you think is going to happen? (Insert evil laugh) I told you no lemons so...just imagine it. 


	11. Confessions

The next day, Watari was in his lab working on some paperwork Tatsumi had given him. His pet, 003, was perched happily on his shoulder trying to fall asleep.  
  
There was a light, timid knock on his door.  
  
"Come in." Watari answered.  
  
"Watari?"  
  
"Tsuzuki? By that knock I thought it was Bon." Watari told him. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Can I talk to you about something?" Tsuzuki asked from the doorway.  
  
"Sure. Anything." Watari grinned.  
  
Tsuzuki closed the door behind him and went over to sit at Watari's desk.  
  
"What's on your mind?"  
  
"You've got to promise not to tell anyone." Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"Okay. Something wrong?" Watari asked as 003 left his shoulder to sit in her cage.  
  
"I have to tell someone. I'm afraid to tell Tatsumi, and I can't tell Hisoka." Tsuzuki explained.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Do you remember the other day when I finished my paperwork and left early?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Well...I went to see Muraki."  
  
"Muraki?" Watari questioned.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded shyly. "I just went to ask him a few questions is all."  
  
The blonde scientist nodded. "That's what he said. And then you fell asleep on his couch right?"  
  
The purple-eyed shinigami shook his head. "No. That's not what happened."  
  
"Then what happened?"   
  
"I started out by asking him about what Oriya had said at the KoKakuRou. He wouldn't answer at first and I got angry and kind of got in his face when he didn't tell me. He finally answered me and then he promised me he wouldn't kill anymore. I was, and still am, a little skeptical but I was still so happy that I hugged him."  
  
"You hugged him? Muraki Kazutaka?" Watari asked, bewildered at his friend's confession.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "And...Before I even realized it, I was kissing him."  
  
"K-Kissing him?" Watari spat out.  
  
Again Tsuzuki nodded, a blush forming on his cheeks. "I was just as surprised as he was, and I stopped...kissing him and went to the door. He said he'd unlock the door for me and when he got up and started walking towards me I...I don't know what happened but suddenly I...I guess you could say I realized how I felt, and I kissed him again and..."  
  
"You didn't... go any further did you?"  
  
Tsuzuki fidgeted in his chair uncomfortably. "Well..."  
  
"Tsuzuki! I can't believe..." He calmed himself. "It was just that one time right?"  
  
"Well...No. The other day too, before I went shopping with the girls."  
  
"That's why his desk was a mess?" Watari cringed slightly.  
  
"I offered to stay and help him clean up." Tsuzuki explained. "But he said not to worry about it." Tsuzuki paused. "And again last night after I went out with Ukyou. I went to explain to him that it wasn't a date and all, I felt kind of guilty, and we ended up..." He trailed off.  
  
"I see." Watari had on a very serious face. "So this isn't just a one-time thing?"  
  
"No. I...think that I...I love him." Tsuzuki confessed. "What should I do Watari?"  
  
"I don't know Tsuzuki. But you're right about one thing, you can't tell Tatsumi or Bon."  
  
Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "Hisoka would be so angry with me."  
  
"Why Muraki?" Watari questioned.  
  
"Because...I don't really know. He's changed since Kyoto."  
  
"As have we all Tsuzuki. But after what happened back then...I thought you hated him even more."  
  
"So did I."  
  
There was a strong knock on the door.  
  
"Eh? Come in Tatsumi." Watari answered.  
  
"Watari have you finished your paperwork yet?" Tatsumi asked, pushing the door open.  
  
"No, not yet." The blonde scientist told him.  
  
"Oh hello Tsuzuki-san. What are you doing here? And so early?"  
  
"I needed to talk to Watari. I didn't mean to disturb him from his work." Tsuzuki told him. "But I'm done now."  
  
"Good. I found some more paperwork for you to do. It's waiting on your desk." Tatsumi told him.  
  
"Hai. I'm going." Tsuzuki smiled at the secretary as he left Watari's lab.  
  
"What did he need to talk to you about?" Tatsumi asked after Tsuzuki's footsteps had disappeared down the hall.  
  
"His date last night." Watari lied.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I think somebody needs to give our little shinigami a sex talk." Watari joked with a bright smile.  
  
Tatsumi sighed. "Very funny Watari." He said unenthusiastically.   
  
"Oh come on Tatsumi! Have a sense of humor." He pouted ever so slightly.  
  
"Get back to work." He told him, and then left the room.  
  
_________________________________________________-  
  
I'm sorry this was a little late....i'Ve been busy reading things...like 'Bloood and Blossoms' and 'Lost Paradise' 


	12. Out On The Town

"Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki yelled, bounding into the secretary's office.  
  
"What is it Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked calmly.  
  
"We're having a guy's night out. You're coming this time, right?"  
  
"Tsuzuki I don't..." He looked up to see Tsuzuki's sad puppy face staring at him. "Oh all right." He sighed.  
  
"Yay!" Tsuzuki cheered. "I'll go tell everyone!" He then proceeded to run out of the room.  
  
Tatsumi sighed, stood from his chair, and then put on his coat. He met Tsuzuki, Watari, Terazuma, and Hisoka outside JuOhChou and they all set off to the world of the living.  
  
After an hour and a half of bar hopping, Tsuzuki and Watari were officially trashed.  
  
"Aw Tatsumi I'm fine! Stop worrying, will you?" Tsuzuki said drunkenly.  
  
"Really, I think you've had enough." Tatsumi said, pushing Tsuzuki's glass out of reach.   
  
"Come on Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki whined, reaching for his glass of sake.  
  
"Baka." Hisoka sighed. He took a sip of his tea. "Stop acting like such a child."  
  
"Please, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki whined.  
  
"Give him the damn drink. It's his own fault what ever happens to him." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
Tatsumi sighed in defeat and gave the drink back to Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki grinned triumphantly and swallowed the contents of the glass. He stood and hugged Terazuma. "Arigato!"  
  
Terazuma struggled in the other man's grip. "Get off me!" He roared.  
  
The others at the table began to laugh, even the uptight secretary was laughing. Terazuma just growled and proceeded to try and pry the drunk off of him.  
  
The door to the bar opened and a few more customers piled into the establishment.  
  
"I haven't seen you in a few days. We hardly ever go to a place like this anymore. It's always the usual, you come to the KoKakuRou and visit for a while and then leave. Why don't you just relax?"  
  
"Oh all right."  
  
Thud! "Ouch!" Tsuzuki whined, now lying on the floor next to Terazuma's chair. "That hurt!"  
  
Terazuma grunted. "I told you to get off!"  
  
Tatsumi stood and helped Tsuzuki to his feet. "Are you all right?" Tatsumi smiled at the drunken man.  
  
"Hai. Arigato, Tatsumi." Tsuzuki smiled and took his seat. Tatsumi followed his actions.  
  
"Well hello." Oriya appeared next to their table. "We didn't expect to see you here. How nice to see you all again."  
  
"Konichiwa." Tatsumi said firmly.  
  
"Hey!" Watari piped.  
  
Terazuma grunted.   
  
Hisoka was quiet. He then watched as Tsuzuki slipped out of his chair and onto the floor. "Baka. Get up." Hisoka said helping the older man onto his chair.  
  
"Had enough yet Tsuzuki?" Watari asked.  
  
"No!" Tsuzuki protested.  
  
"Good!" Watari said, pouring each of them another glass of warm sake.  
  
Tatsumi sighed as he watched. He turned to Oriya again. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Spending some time with my best friend is all." Oriya answered.  
  
"Oriya? What are you doing?" Muraki asked, coming up behind the other man.  
  
"Saying hello to our friends, the shinigami." Oriya told him.  
  
"Konichiwa." Muraki greeted.  
  
"Konichiwa, Sensei." Tatsumi said.  
  
"My butt hurts." Tsuzuki moaned.  
  
"Lovely announcement." Terazuma told him, making a disgusted face.  
  
Watari began to laugh.  
  
Hisoka smiled behind his glass.  
  
"Tsuzuki..." Tatsumi began, shaking his head in disappointment.   
  
"Hey, Muraki's a doctor!" Watari announced.  
  
"So?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"Let him check it out!" Watari exclaimed and then burst out laughing.  
  
Tsuzuki began laughing too; he was soon on the floor again.  
  
"Tsuzuki? Are you all right?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear him Bon?" Watari asked. "His butt hurts." Watari giggled.  
  
"I take it that those two are drunk?" Oriya asked.  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe." Terazuma told him.  
  
"Tsuzuki hugged Terazuma!" Watari announced.  
  
Terazuma growled.  
  
"I'm ok!" Tsuzuki said standing from the floor. "Tatsumi?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Do I have to go to work tomorrow?"  
  
"Hai, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi told him.  
  
Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around Tatsumi's shoulders and hugged him. "No. Please?"  
  
"Gomen, Tsuzuki-san. I can't let you off because of a hangover." Tatsumi told him.  
  
"I didn't really sleep last night though! Or the last two nights before either." Tsuzuki admitted.  
  
Watari burst out laughing again.  
  
Tsuzuki began glaring at the scientist. "Watari..." Tsuzuki stomped his foot.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Tsuzuki." Watari giggled. "I can't help it."  
  
"Watari!" Tsuzuki whined, letting go of Tatsumi.  
  
"Gomen!" Watari giggled. "Your sleeping habits are none of my business."   
  
"Excuse me." Muraki said, turning and going towards the restrooms.  
  
"Watari!" Tsuzuki stomped his foot again.  
  
"Nani? What's going on?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Nothing." Tsuzuki pouted.  
  
"Hai! Nothing." Watari laughed.  
  
"Are you sure?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Hai." Tsuzuki told him. "I'll be back." Tsuzuki announced, fumbling past Oriya.  
  
"Where are you going, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I have to pee!" He yelled back to him.  
  
"Did you have to make him yell it across the room?" Terazuma asked.  
  
Tatsumi made a noise like a growl as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Drink your sake Terazuma, before it gets cold."  
  
Terazuma sank in his chair slightly and did as he was told.  
  
"I'll be back too!" Watari announced, standing ungracefully from his chair and heading towards the restrooms.  
  
Watari pushed open the door to the men's room and stepped in. It took him a moment to notice Tsuzuki pinning the white doctor against one of the walls. "Ohayo!" He grinned.  
  
Tsuzuki turned around. "Watari, you scared me!"  
  
"If you don't want people to know, you should be more subtle." Watari scolded him.  
  
"I know." Tsuzuki sighed. He leaned back against Muraki and smiled. "I couldn't help myself."  
  
Watari snorted. "Be glad it wasn't Bon or Tatsumi."  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. He then lost his footing and slid to the floor. Muraki was quick to catch him before he landed fully.  
  
The door then burst open. "Damn slave driver. I'm not at work anymore, what makes him think he can boss me around?" Terazuma growled.  
  
"Nani? Terazuma what are you doing here?" Watari asked.  
  
"Tatsumi sent me in here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because stupid drunks can't go to the bathroom without getting lost!" Terazuma snorted.  
  
"Okay." Watari smiled. "You got him?" Watari asked as Muraki got Tsuzuki to his feet.  
  
"Hai. Arigato." He said.  
  
"I'm okay!" Tsuzuki assured the occupants of the room.  
  
"So, Sensei, what are you doing here anyway?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Potty, duh!" Watari told him.  
  
"That's not what I meant!"  
  
"Oriya dragged me here." Muraki answered calmly, still holding up Tsuzuki's wobbling body.   
  
Watari muffled a laugh behind his hand and pointed at Tsuzuki, who was slipping off balance every once and a while, with the other.  
  
"Ever so graceful, Tsuzuki." Terazuma mumbled.  
  
"It's not my fault the floor is slippery! Mind your own business, you shape changing freak!" Tsuzuki growled drunkenly.  
  
"Now Tsuzuki-san, you really shouldn't call your co-workers names." Muraki scolded lightly, still struggling to hold up the frequently falling shinigami.  
  
"I-I-I...fine." He sighed in defeat.  
  
"Apologize." The doctor demanded.  
  
"Gomen." He whispered shyly.  
  
Muraki pinched Tsuzuki's side.  
  
"Ouch!" He straitened up. "Gomen, Hajime-chan." Tsuzuki said clearly.  
  
"Don't call me that!" Terazuma snapped.  
  
"Gomen, Terazuma." Tsuzuki rubbed his side. "That hurt!" Tsuzuki glared at the doctor.  
  
"Gomen Tsuzuki-san." He apologized. "But it got you to apologize and stand on your own." He thrust his hands into his pockets.  
  
Tsuzuki looked at his feet. "Anou..."  
  
"What's taking you three so long?" Hisoka asked, gently stepping into the room.  
  
Tsuzuki turned too quickly at the sound of the boy's voice and fell to the ground.  
  
"Baka." Hisoka snorted.  
  
"Something screwy is going on around here." Terazuma stated.  
  
"Nani?" Hisoka asked. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Doctor Psychopath is being nice and Tsuzuki isn't flipping out like he usually does when he's around. Hell, Sensei touched him and he didn't even flinch." Terazuma told him.  
  
"Tsuzuki is drunk, Terazuma-san." Hisoka stated.  
  
Suddenly a pen hit Terazuma in the chest.  
  
"Nani? What the hell was that?" Terazuma asked looking down at the pen.  
  
Hisoka bent down and picked it up. "Tsuzuki? Why'd you throw your pen at Terazuma-san?"  
  
"Little brat!" Terazuma roared.  
  
"No name-calling." Tsuzuki pouted like a child.  
  
"Excuse me?" Terazuma asked in disbelief.  
  
"No name-calling. You called me a 'little brat' and you called Muraki 'Doctor Psychopath.' No name-calling! Apologize."  
  
Muraki chuckled lightly behind Tsuzuki. "That's all right..."  
  
"No!" Tsuzuki cut him off.  
  
Muraki blinked. "N-Nani?"  
  
Tsuzuki stood up quickly. "Apologize now!" He snorted.  
  
"No!" Terazuma protested.  
  
"I..." Tsuzuki paused. "Feel dizzy." He fell back unconscious into the doctor who was quick to catch him.  
  
"TATSUMI!" Hisoka rushed out the door.  
  
"No! Not so loud!" Watari whined, covering his ears.  
  
"Stupid drunk." Terazuma mumbled under his breath.  
  
"Tsuzuki!" Tatsumi burst into the room and immediately went to Tsuzuki's side.  
  
"He's just passed out." The doctor assured him. "He'll be fine in the morning, with the exception of a strong hangover."  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "Arigato, Sensei." He picked up the purple-eyed shinigami and headed for the door. "I think it's time we all went home."  
  
Terazuma followed Tatsumi, catching all the doors for him. Hisoka helped the wobbly blonde scientist to the door.  
  
"Wait a minute Bon. Could you wait outside for me a second? I'm not done in here."  
  
"Okay." Hisoka nodded and left the restroom.  
  
"Listen Muraki, I know what's going on between you and Tsuzuki."  
  
"I kind of figured that out." Muraki said plainly.  
  
"I swear, if you do anything to hurt him...so help me. I don't take kindly to anyone who hurts any of my friends." Watari threatened.  
  
"I don't intend on hurting Tsuzuki."  
  
"Good. It better stay that way." Watari turned to the door. "Good evening Sensei." He pushed out the door and left.  
  
______________________________________________________________  
  
I've decided that from now on I'm not updating until I get at least one review per chapter.   
  
Just FYI, flames are welcome. 


	13. Curiousity and Nervousness

Tsuzuki moaned from his throbbing headache as he woke. He shoved his face into his pillow and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the feeling of his hangover to subside.  
  
"That's what you get for drinking so much, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"Nani?" Tsuzuki said weakly, lifting his head from his pillow cautiously as to avoid any blinding light. "Tatsumi? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Your apartment was the closest so we all stayed here, I hope you don't mind." Tatsumi said calmly. "The lights are off." He assured him.  
  
"We?"  
  
"Watari, Hisoka, and myself. Terazuma went home."  
  
"What...what happened last night?" Tsuzuki sat up slowly.  
  
"Terazuma says you were yelling at him to apologize for calling Muraki names just before you passed out." Tatsumi said causally.  
  
"Apologize?" Tsuzuki asked, faking innocence.  
  
"Hai. Do you know why you did that, Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"No." Tsuzuki lied.  
  
"Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of alcohol you consumed last night." Tatsumi reasoned.  
  
"Hai. Probably."   
  
"Is Tsuzuki up yet?" Watari appeared behind Tatsumi.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Morning Tsuzuki." Watari beamed.  
  
"How can you be so cheerful this early in the morning?" Tsuzuki moaned.  
  
"I've been up longer than you and my hangover is almost totally gone." He grinned. "Time to get up Tsuzuki!"  
  
"Be quiet." He groaned, falling back into his pillow. "Too early."  
  
"But Tsuzuki, its noon." Watari smiled.  
  
Tatsumi walked over to the bed, tugged off the sheets, and shook Tsuzuki lightly. "Tsuzuki-san, get up, take a shower, get dressed, and come out of your room. We'll have brunch ready for you when you're done."  
  
"No." He pouted, hiding under his pillow.  
  
Tatsumi stole the pillow away from Tsuzuki's clutches and smiled softly at him. "We'll have apple pie with brunch."  
  
Tsuzuki grinned and sat up slowly. "OK."  
  
A faint smiled appeared on Tatsumi's face before he left the room. Watari closed the door and walked over to sit down next to Tsuzuki on the bed. He smiled.  
  
"Nani?" Tsuzuki questioned the quirky scientist.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Watari grinned.  
  
"What is it Watari?" Tsuzuki urged him to get to the point.  
  
"You n' Muraki...and how your in lo..." Before he could finish Tsuzuki was instantly on top of him, covering his head with a pillow and staring intently at the door. Somehow, Watari managed to pry the pillow off his head and stare at Tsuzuki.  
  
"Are you nuts?" Tsuzuki whispered angrily.  
  
"Gomen. Was I speaking too loud?"  
  
Tsuzuki's glare was answer enough.  
  
"Are you positive, about your feelings for Muraki I mean?" Watari asked.  
  
Tsuzuki's gaze softened and he smiled. "Hai."  
  
"Muraki Kazutaka?" Watari raised a suspicious eyebrow.  
  
Tsuzuki laughed lightly. "Hai."  
  
Watari sighed in defeat. "There's no changing your mind?"  
  
"No." Tsuzuki grinned.  
  
The scientist made a disgusted noise and pushed his friend off as he stood up.  
  
"Watari...I'll have a talk with Kazu. I want you to see how much he's changed." He smiled at the blonde. "I'd like it if you two could get along."  
  
Watari sighed and stared at his friend for a moment. "Fine. But only for you, Tsuzuki."  
  
Tsuzuki bounced up and hugged his friend. "Arigato, Watari!"  
  
"You're welcome." Watari smiled lightly.  
  
"WATARI! Let Tsuzuki Get Up On His Own!" Tatsumi yelled from the other room.  
  
"Yea! We Need Your Help Out Here!" Hisoka growled, then the sound of dishes clattering and something breaking was heard. "Gomen Tsuzuki!"  
  
Tsuzuki giggled and rushed into the bathroom. Watari sighed as he watched his friend retreat into the bathroom before leaving.  
  
He blinked. Hisoka was sitting on the floor surrounded by dishes of all sorts, and Tatsumi was clearing the counter of the spilled ingredients from the breakfast he was making. Watari smiled. "Are you two ok?"  
  
"Stop grinning and help us." Hisoka growled.  
  
"It would seem Tsuzuki-san isn't a very organized person." Tatsumi stated. "But then again we already knew that."  
  
"If you'd waited I could have told you where everything was." Watari told them.  
  
"Nobody likes a smart...never mind." Tatsumi decided not to finish.  
  
"What's up with Tsuzuki, Watari?" Hisoka asked, standing up slowly.  
  
In the background the shower started up. "He's feeling better." Watari told them, forcing a smile.  
  
"I'm worried about him. He's been acting weird lately." Hisoka stated. He began to put away the fallen dishes.  
  
"We'll ask him at brunch." Tatsumi told him.  
  
Hisoka nodded. "It's better to ask him questions when he's happy and has his mouth full." Watari nodded in silent agreement.  
  
************************  
  
"Morning Hisoka! Morning Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki grinned, plopping down into a chair at the table.  
  
"Good Morning Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi smiled slightly at the other shinigami.  
  
Hisoka said nothing as he set the table.  
  
"How was your date the other night, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
Tsuzuki blushed slightly. "I...It wasn't a date." He mumbled.  
  
"How was it?" Watari encouraged with a smile.  
  
"Fine." He shrugged. "The play was good and the food at the restaurant was excellent."  
  
"How old is she again?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Thirty-one, the same age as K...Muraki." Tsuzuki corrected.  
  
"I didn't know Sensei was thirty-one." Tatsumi observed, serving Tsuzuki some eggs.  
  
"Ah...Hai. Ukyou told me that. I didn't know that either."  
  
"What else did she tell you about Muraki?" Hisoka asked, sitting down in the chair on Tsuzuki's right.  
  
"Anou...She said he had a half-brother who was...conceived only a few months before Muraki himself. She says she doesn't know much about him but that he was killed shortly after Muraki met him. She said his name was Shindo Saki."  
  
"I'll look him up later." Tatsumi informed them. He set the plates of food down on the table and sat on the other side of Tsuzuki.  
  
"Tatsumi, don't you think it's strange that we've been running into Muraki quite a lot lately? I mean we haven't seen him since Kyoto almost an entire year ago, and suddenly he just pops up and we're seeing him everywhere now." Hisoka questioned.  
  
"I suppose it is rather strange, but then again we did go to see him the other day." Tatsumi said.  
  
"But that was just one time." Hisoka explained.  
  
"True." Tatsumi sighed.  
  
Watari glanced at Tsuzuki.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled. "Can we talk about something else?" He asked.  
  
"Of course. Gomen, Tsuzuki-san. I forgot about your connection with Sensei." Tatsumi smiled reassuringly.  
  
Tsuzuki blushed slightly, thinking of something different entirely. "Hai."  
  
"So..." Hisoka nudged Tsuzuki with his elbow. "Did anything special happen on your date?" He smirked slightly.  
  
Tsuzuki's blush deepened. "Hisoka..." He pouted.  
  
"Well?" Hisoka asked.  
  
Tsuzuki opened his mouth to say something.  
  
Tatsumi interrupted him. "Kurosaki-kun, I don't think it's appropriate to talk about that during breakfast."  
  
"Arigato, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki beamed.  
  
"Tsuzuki-san can tell us all the details after breakfast." Tatsumi said with a strait face.  
  
"Juicy details!" Watari cheered.  
  
"Eat your breakfast, Watari." Tatsumi told him.  
  
Watari nodded and began to gobble his food.  
  
Tsuzuki whined. "I don't want to have a guy talk."  
  
"Too bad." Hisoka shrugged before placing a bite of eggs and waffles into his mouth.  
  
***************************  
  
  
  
Tsuzuki sat on his couch surrounded by Tatsumi, Hisoka, and Watari. Tatsumi sat on his left, Hisoka on his right, and Watari sat on the coffee table before him.  
  
"Well?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Nani?" Tsuzuki asked innocently.  
  
"What happened on your date, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"N-Nothing." He stuttered. "We went to the play, we had dinner, I walked her to her car and that was it." He shrugged.  
  
"Liar." Hisoka mumbled. "I stopped by your apartment that night to see how it had gone and you weren't home." Hisoka told him. "And it was pretty late, too."  
  
"I guess Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba picked out the perfect suit." Tatsumi smirked slightly.  
  
Tsuzuki's jaw dropped. "I didn't though..."  
  
"So? Dish, Tsuzuki! What happened?" Watari asked.  
  
Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at Watari. 'He knows damn well what happened. I already told him.' He sighed. 'I suppose it's an act.' "I swear nothing happened." Tsuzuki pressed. "Except...she did kiss me on the cheek before she left."  
  
"Left for her job the next morning, right?" Watari giggled.  
  
Tsuzuki growled slightly. "No! After dinner, when I walked her to her car."  
  
"Sure." Hisoka rolled his eyes. "No use in lying to an emapth, Tsuzuki."  
  
"But I swear I'm telling the truth." Tsuzuki whimpered.  
  
"The sympathy act won't work this time, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi told him.  
  
"Hai!" Watari beamed. "We want the truth." Secretly Watari wanted him to end up confessing about Muraki, but he also wanted to see what kind of lie he'd come up with if he didn't.  
  
"But that is the truth! I swear nothing happened between me and Ukyou!"  
  
Hisoka's jaw dropped. "Did you dump her and go find someone else?" He tried.  
  
Tsuzuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How long have you known me for, Hisoka?"  
  
"To tell the truth, I don't know that much about you really." Hisoka shrugged.  
  
"Quite true." Tatsumi agreed. "You're a very private and therefore mysterious person, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
"Well for your information I'm not that kind of person." Tsuzuki snorted. "Even ask Watari."  
  
Tatsumi and Hisoka turned curiously to Watari. Watari automatically panicked. "Nani?" 'He can't ask me! He's put me in enough trouble, keeping a secret from Tatsumi is so hard. Whenever he stares at me like that I swear I'm going to spill something, and if I do Tsuzuki will never trust me again…he'll also kill me! But then again if Tatsumi finds out about them and then figures out I knew and didn't tell him, he'll kill me. Ah! What to do?' He laughed nervously. "Tatsumi, what about this whole predicament with the murders Muraki committed?"  
  
"Don't change the subject, Watari." Tatsumi said simply. "Besides, that case has been solved."  
  
"But what if he does it again?"  
  
"Then we'll go through the usual paperwork and such." He told the blonde scientist. "Now stop trying to change the subject, Watari. What do you know of Tsuzuki-san's night out? If I remember correctly you said he told you about it." Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"I…I don't remember?" He tried.  
  
"I can tell you're lying, Watari." Hisoka nearly growled. He was kind of interested in this.  
  
"As can I." Tatsumi told him.  
  
Watari whimpered and scratched the chin of the owl on his shoulder. "It was a private conversation, it's none of your business." 'I hate doing this.'  
  
Tsuzuki jumped from his spot on the couch and hugged the blonde in front of him. "Arigato, Watari!"  
  
Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose we were being a bit intrusive."  
  
Inu-Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "Hai!"  
  
"It's not that often we get to have a guy talk like this, us being dead and all." Hisoka shrugged.  
  
"I don't mind having a guy talk, just not at my expense." Inu-Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"What is so embarrassing about it, Tsuzuki-san? Unless you have something to hide." Tatsumi paused for a moment. "Tsuzuki-san, would you happen to know why we've been running into Sensei so often lately?"  
  
Tsuzuki hesitated. "No."  
  
"Why are you so nervous?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Me?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"Hai." Hisoka nodded.  
  
"I…" His phone rang. Tsuzuki stood up, walked over to the phone, and picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Asato."  
  
'EEP! NO, NO, NO! Kazu you have perfect timing. Damn it!!' "Hello."  
  
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I'll be finishing my shift at the hospital early today and was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner, if you don't already have plans that is?" Muraki asked from the other end of the line.  
  
"Hold on a second, please." Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"Of course." Muraki said pleasantly.  
  
"Who is it, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka asked.  
  
He smiled. "I'm going to take this in my room. Be right back!" He quickly bounded out of the room. "Gomen, Kazu."  
  
"It's all right."  
  
"My friends are over right now so I can't go out now."  
  
"I meant tonight, Asato." Muraki told him. "By the way, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine, arigato." Tsuzuki told him. "I'll come tonight."  
  
"Good. I need to talk to you about something."  
  
"Oh?" Tsuzuki sounded worried.  
  
"No, Asato, it's good news." He assured with a chuckle.  
  
"Oh Good!" Tsuzuki cheered.  
  
"Who is there with you right now?" Muraki asked conversationally.  
  
"Watari, Tatsumi, and Hisoka." Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"What about that man you kept fighting with last night?"  
  
"Nani? Oh you mean Hajime-chan! He went home last night." Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"Tsuzuki! What's going on?" Hisoka called.  
  
"I got to go, Kazu. I'll see you tonight." Tsuzuki whispered. "I'll meet you in the park at seven, right?"  
  
"Hai. I'll see you tonight." Muraki told him. "Bye."  
  
"Bye-bye." Tsuzuki smiled to himself and hung up the phone.  
  
"Gomen!" Tsuzuki apologized to his friends as he put the phone back into its cradle.  
  
"Who was it, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"One of those stupid telemarketers." He lied.  
  
"Oh." Tatsumi stood. "Well we should get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Anou…Oh! The annual company picnic tomorrow, I forgot about that. Of course, I'll see you all tomorrow." Tsuzuki smiled.  
  
"Bye." Hisoka nodded to Tsuzuki and stepped out the door.  
  
"Bye-bye!" Watari beamed, and then bounced out the door after Hisoka.  
  
"Goodbye, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said following his co-workers out the door.  
  
"Bye!" Tsuzuki grinned; he closed the door behind them and then crashed on his couch.  
  
*********************  
  
  
  
"He was talking to someone." Hisoka told them. "I don't know who it was but I heard him say he was going to meet them in the park tonight at seven."  
  
"We'll follow and check it out. He's been acting rather strangely lately." Tatsumi informed them.  
  
"Is that a good idea?" Watari asked.  
  
"Hai. It's for his own good." Tatsumi said.  
  
"All right then." Watari shrugged. 'I said I wouldn't say anything, I never said anything about stopping people from finding out on their own. Let him clean up his own mess.'  
  
"We'll meet in the park at six thirty." Tatsumi told them. "I'll ask Terazuma to come as well."  
  
"All right." Hisoka nodded.  
  
"Kay." Watari agreed. 


	14. Spying

I updated! Gomen it's so late, I had totally forgot that I hadn't updated in a while, but then I was reminded so...Gomen nasai!  
  
Hope you like it.  
  
The group sat behind a large bunch of bushes, hidden from sight. Terazuma, Tatsumi, and Hisoka were intently watching Tsuzuki and his surroundings, while Watari sat feeding a squirrel behind them. "There's Tsuzuki." Hisoka pointed out.  
  
Sure enough, Tsuzuki stood next to one of the many benches in the park. His arms were crossed over his chest; he wore what seemed to be his normal attire but a lot nicer. His shirt and tie were made of silk and his suit itself was made of some unidentifiable, but very expensive material; he didn't wear his normal trench coat, but one made of black leather. He seemed to be waiting for someone or something, looking around anxiously every few minutes.   
  
"Wonder who the baka's waiting for?" Terazuma said.   
  
"And where'd he get that outfit?" Hisoka mumbled.  
  
"Who knows?" Watari shrugged. He didn't seem all that interested as he fed his squirrel friend.  
  
Tatsumi suddenly looked slightly angry. "Here comes Sensei." He observed.  
  
Muraki smoothly strolled over to Tsuzuki, wearing his normal attire. He paused behind the shinigami and cleared his throat. Tsuzuki spun around, staring wide-eyed at the white doctor.   
  
Muraki smiled. "Hello."  
  
Tsuzuki smiled and wrapped his arms around the other man's neck, the fabric of his coat making subtle noises as he made the action. "Hi!"  
  
Muraki wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's waist and pulled him closer. He then smiled, leaned in, and kissed the shinigami passionately.  
  
Tatsumi, Hisoka, and Terazuma's jaws all dropped. Watari sighed and looked away.  
  
"How long have you been waiting here?" Muraki asked.  
  
"Not long." Tsuzuki shrugged. He rested his head under Muraki's chin and closed his eyes.  
  
"How's your hangover?" Muraki asked, smirking.  
  
Tsuzuki pouted slightly. "Fine."  
  
"You do know you threw a pen at your co-worker last night?"  
  
"Vaguely." He mumbled.  
  
"And the blonde who knows about this…Watari-san, he said you hugged Terazuma."  
  
Tatsumi, Hisoka, and Terazuma glared at Watari who smiled nervously.  
  
Tsuzuki looked up suddenly. "Hajime-chan! I did NOT!" Tsuzuki demanded with a blush.  
  
"You're so kawaii when you blush." Muraki cupped the shinigami's face in his hands.  
  
"Stop it." Tsuzuki snorted.   
  
"OK." Muraki chuckled.  
  
Tsuzuki snuggled into the crook of the doctor's neck again. "You know I hate it when you tease me."  
  
"Hai. Gomen." Muraki began stroking his fingers through the shinigami's hair. "So you like the suit?"  
  
"Hai." The brunette mumbled into the doctor's chest. "And the coat too."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that."  
  
"Have you told Oriya yet?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"Have you told your friends yet?" Muraki countered.  
  
"We really should tell all of them." Tsuzuki mumbled.  
  
"You know none of them would understand. Even your friend Watari-san, who you said was all right with this arrangement, has already threatened me."  
  
"Watari threatened you?" Tsuzuki asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"That doesn't sound like Watari." Tsuzuki said.  
  
"You've known about this all along, haven't you?" Tatsumi whispered angrily, eyes flashed dangerously at the blonde.  
  
Watari nodded nervously. "Tsuzuki made me promise I wouldn't tell." Watari seemed to shrink in fear of the secretary.  
  
"What do you know?" Hisoka asked. The boy seemed more threatening somehow; perhaps it was the fact that his crush was in his enemies clutches.  
  
"It started when Tsuzuki went to see him that night he left the office early."  
  
"So this has been going on for a while now?" Hisoka asked.  
  
"Hai. Anou…that's where he was the night of his date, I mean he went on the date but afterward he went to Muraki's house." Watari told them.  
  
"Exactly how far have they gone?" Tatsumi asked seriously, he lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.  
  
Watari smiled nervously.  
  
"We should get going before we miss our reservations." Muraki said releasing Tsuzuki from the hug and taking his hand in his own.  
  
Tsuzuki rested his head on the other man's shoulder. "OK." He sighed contently. "Tomorrow is the company picnic."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
The four spies followed behind slowly and quietly.  
  
"We have it here in Chijou. It's really fun." Tsuzuki smiled. "If Konoe is in a good mood he lets us invite someone from Chijou to join us. I'd like to invite you, Kazu."  
  
Muraki sighed. "Why don't you invite that Hijiri boy?"  
  
"You're right. That's probably safer. Besides, it's usually an office decision."  
  
"It's times like these I wish I could erase my past." The doctor sighed. "I'd really like to go with you, Asato."  
  
"I'd like you to come, too." Tsuzuki hugged the taller man's arm tightly.  
  
The happy couple proceeded to a rather expensive restaurant, where they were seated in an exclusive outdoor booth, which was lit by candlelight. Their four followers sat at a booth close by in order to watch and hear but not be seen.   
  
"How has your day been going so far?" Muraki asked.  
  
"Lets see…" Tsuzuki thought for a moment. "Tatsumi woke me up this morning, I took a shower, Tatsumi and Hisoka made breakfast, and then they all started asking me questions about when I went out with Ukyou."  
  
"Oh?" Muraki's arm was around Tsuzuki's waist, holding the shinigami as close as possible. "The shower?" He smirked.  
  
Tsuzuki's face flushed as he averted the other's gaze. "Kazu…"  
  
The pale man wrapped his other arm around the smaller frame and kissed the other. "Your friends asked you questions? Like what?" He asked.  
  
"They kept asking me about that night. Apparently Hisoka came by that night to see how it had gone and, well, you know." He blushed as he pulled away slightly before leaning his head on the doctor's shoulder.  
  
"You obviously weren't there." Muraki nodded knowingly.  
  
"Hai." Tsuzuki smiled at him. "So they think something happened between me and Ukyou, and Watari was playing along with them. He kept asking me questions and stuff."  
  
"Well, he isn't too happy with this arrangement so perhaps he was trying to get you to confess." Muraki reasoned.  
  
"Damn, he's good." Watari observed.  
  
"Kazu…"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"What do you think we'd do if we were caught?" Tsuzuki asked, lifting his head from the pale man's shoulder.   
  
Muraki sighed, kissing the shinigami's cheek. "I don't know, but I doubt it will happen. Your friends all live in Meifu correct?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"And Oriya barely ever leaves the KoKakuRou."  
  
"You're right." Tsuzuki hugged the doctor's shoulders.  
  
"Asato, do you remember on the phone when I told you I needed to talk to you about something?"  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "Hai."  
  
"Well, it's something I've told you before but this time I think it actually means something." Muraki seemed to be fidgeting.  
  
"Nani? I want your body?"  
  
Muraki chuckled. "No, Asato."  
  
"Well actually, Watari said that to me…but you said it too!" He grinned.  
  
"He did?" Muraki sounded angry.  
  
"It was during the case with Hijiri. I had just had a fight with a demon called Saagatanus and Watari had to make sure the thing didn't posses me. It still did after they all left but still." Tsuzuki shrugged.  
  
"Oh." He relaxed.  
  
"Gomen. What were you going to say?"  
  
Muraki cleared his throat. "Asato, anou…"  
  
Tsuzuki leaned over lightly and began planting light kisses along the white doctor's jaw and neck.  
  
Muraki cleared his throat. "Asato, please…"  
  
"Hai." Tsuzuki sat back and looked at the other man. "Gomen."  
  
"Arigato."  
  
Tsuzuki took Muraki's hand in his and smiled.  
  
Muraki smiled back. "Tsuzuki Asato…"  
  
Tsuzuki nodded encouragingly.  
  
"I…love you."  
  
"Well who didn't already know that?" Terazuma snorted.  
  
Tsuzuki kissed Muraki lovingly. "I love you, too." He smiled.  
  
Hisoka spat out his tea, Tatsumi's glasses fell onto the table, Terazuma held back laughter, and Watari just played with his napkin.  
  
"Now what will our friends say to that?" Muraki smiled.  
  
"Who cares what they think?" Tsuzuki smirked. He trailed kisses from the base of the white doctor's neck up to his ear. "Perhaps we should eat fast?" He whispered.  
  
Muraki nodded in agreement.  
  
Soon after, they were served their food. They ate quickly and left. The four spies followed them through the park and to Muraki's house. They watched as Muraki and Tsuzuki disappeared into the large white mansion, lights went on and off throughout the house leading up to the second floor. The shade was pulled down over the last lighted window. Two silhouettes could be seen beyond the window. The two tangled in the each other's arms, one figure's shirt discarded, and then the other's shirt. The shorter of the two bent slightly, head to the taller figure's chest and arms wrapped around his back. The taller figure reached behind him self and the light went out, the figures could no longer be seen.  
  
"What do we do about this?" Hisoka asked; he was still staring at the window where the last light went off.  
  
"Nothing." Tatsumi explained.  
  
"Nothing?" Watari asked.  
  
"Hai." Tatsumi nodded. "Now let's go. We all have work tomorrow."  
  
The other three nodded in agreement and left back to their respected homes in Meifu.  
  
I've been fixing this for months, sorry for the late update minna-sama! I've had a lot of things going on and stuff so I haven't been able to update.  
  
Just to let you all know, after I finish this story I am going to go back and fix some chapters, but no major changes.  
  
OK, until next chapter, which hopefully I'll get up sooner. 


	15. Confusion

YAY! I Updated! Yay for me!  
  
Tsuzuki strolled into the office and plopped down in his desk. He suddenly looked around as he realized something. 'Where is everyone? The office is so quiet. Did they leave without me? That's so mean!' Tsuzuki pouted slightly. He stood and decided to go look for someone, anyone.  
  
Tatsumi, Watari, Konoe, Saya and Yuma, and even Wakaba and Terazuma's offices were all empty, including the library where he had gone looking for the Gushoshin. He checked the break room, which also turned up nothing. 'But weren't we supposed to meet here?' He wondered. The last place he checked was the meeting room. He walked up to the door and opened it slowly.  
  
"Baka! Where have your been?" Hisoka growled.  
  
"I got here a half hour ago. I've been looking for everyone since. I thought we were going to meet in the break room?" Tsuzuki said.  
  
"Last minute change in plans. Gomen, I forgot to tell you, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said calmly.  
  
Tsuzuki thought Tatsumi sounded angry. "Nani? Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly, slightly scared.  
  
"No." Tatsumi shook his head lightly. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"You sound angry, Tatsumi." Tsuzuki blinked, confused.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous." Tatsumi told him. "Kurosaki-kun already invited your friend Hijiri along. He's waiting for us in the park, let's not make him wait any longer than he already has."  
  
"Hai!" Inu-Tsuzuki cheered happily.  
  
"Baka." Hisoka mumbled. "You have icing on your nose." He mumbled to his partner, shaking his head.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled at his partner and wiped away the mess with the napkin in his lap. "Arigato, Hisoka." He smiled brightly at the other.  
  
Hisoka grunted and sipped his tea in response, looking away to stare at nothing in particular.  
  
"So, Tsuzuki, what were you doing at the hospital the other day?" Hijiri asked, setting aside his cup of tea and chocolate-chip cookie.  
  
"I followed Ukyou there. We got caught up in a conversation." Tsuzuki told him, licking the frosting off his fingers before cleaning them with his napkin.  
  
"Ah! So how did your date go with Ukyou?" Hijiri grinned. "Anything happen?" He asked mischievously, winking and nudging the other with an elbow.  
  
"Nani? How did you…it wasn't a date!" Tsuzuki protested, shaking his head furiously at the other. "Not a date."  
  
"I ran into Ukyou on her way out. The way she explained it, it sounded like a date to me." Hijiri said knowingly. "She seemed to like you a lot, Tsuzuki." He smiled.  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "It wasn't a date. We just went out to a play and dinner." He said dumbly, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.  
  
"Did you get a goodnight kiss?" Hijiri smirked.  
  
Tsuzuki's mouth gaped open.  
  
Hijiri grinned, his eyes lighting up along with the rest of his face. "She kissed you didn't she?" He said knowingly, lifting his cup of tea in a 'cheers' like gesture.  
  
Tsuzuki was silent, refusing to say anything or look at anyone as he thought back on his date.  
  
"Tsuzuki-san? Is that you?" A cheery voice called from behind the group.  
  
Tsuzuki turned his head and his eyes widened slightly. "Ukyou-san!" He jumped, surprise registering on his face.  
  
"Good morning, Tsuzuki-san." She smiled, her soft brown eyes smiling with her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Tsuzuki said, pushing his teacup to the side and getting to his feet. "I thought you were moving away?"  
  
"I've decided to stay! Isn't that wonderful?" She told him, clapping her hands together happily.  
  
"But what about your job offer?" He asked curiously.  
  
"I turned it down." She told him, carelessly waving her hand in the air. "I couldn't bear to leave all of my friends and family behind."  
  
Tsuzuki nodded. "That makes sense."  
  
"Would you like to join us Ukyou-san?" Tatsumi asked politely, pouring her a cup of tea without even waiting for an answer.  
  
"Hai! Arigato." She smiled sweetly. She carefully took the cup of tea from him with a smile before turning back toward the violet-eyed man.  
  
Tsuzuki sat back down and Ukyou sat beside him. She held his hand in hers and rested her head on his shoulder. He tensed slightly but tried to ignore the fact that she was cuddling closer with each moment; his mind randomly began to wander to the doctor.  
  
"How was that play you two went to see?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"Very good." Ukyou told him. "Although the main character's acting abilities were a little weak."  
  
Tsuzuki nodded, snapping out of his slight trance. "He fumbled on a few of his lines."  
  
Ukyou made a noise of agreement. "The weather is so beautiful today. It really is a nice day to have a picnic like this."  
  
"Ohayo, Ukyou."  
  
"Oriya! What are you doing here?" She smiled at the swordsman, lifting her head from Tsuzuki's shoulder.  
  
Oriya stood a few feet away from the group dressed in his usual kimono. "Just taking a walk through the park." He told her.  
  
"Are you on your way to lunch or something?" She asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.  
  
He nodded. "Have you talked to Kazu lately?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest, looking defiant despite his cheery mood.  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"He's been acting strange lately." Oriya told her. He shrugged. "Maybe it's just because you two broke up."  
  
"Like he would care." She huffed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Nani?" Oriya asked as he lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"He's been acting like such a bastard lately." She explained.  
  
"I wouldn't say that. Sure every time I ask him what's wrong he changes the subject, but still, I wouldn't go as far as to say he's acting like a bastard." Oriya said, defending his friend as best he could.  
  
"Maybe not to you." Ukyou glared.  
  
Oriya shrugged, giving up the fight. "Did you turn down your promotion?"  
  
Ukyou smiled. "Hai." She leaned over and kissed Tsuzuki's cheek. "I couldn't bear to leave."  
  
Oriya nodded. "I see." He smiled.  
  
"Oriya, I said I wouldn't be too long." The velvet like voice from behind the swordsman.  
  
"I was just talking to Ukyou." Oriya explained. "Done talking to Himura-sensei already, Kazu?"  
  
"Hai." Muraki nodded. "Ohayo, Ukyou."  
  
Ukyou nodded. "You're not working today?" She asked as she leaned on Tsuzuki, hugging his arm.  
  
"No, I have today off." He told her. "I thought your office gave you a raise?"  
  
"Hai, well, I turned it down." She told him. "I've always hated leaving loved ones."  
  
Muraki nodded in understanding, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trench coat.  
  
"How's your restaurant doing, Oriya?" Ukyou asked.  
  
"Fine." He shrugged.  
  
Ukyou laughed lightly. "That's what you always say." She shook her head with a smile.  
  
He smiled back.  
  
"How's business at the hospital, Kazutaka?" She shifted her position so that she was more comfortable. She lay in Tsuzuki's lap, her head resting on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist as she smiled.  
  
Muraki's jaw locked for a moment at the site. He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up on his nose, despite the fact that they didn't need it, before answering. "Rather slow. A lot of paperwork."  
  
"I hate paperwork." Tsuzuki mumbled.  
  
"Stop complaining." Tatsumi scolded lightly.  
  
"It's not like you ever do any, Tsuzuki-san." Terazuma snorted.  
  
"I do to." He glared at the other man.  
  
"Aw kiss and make up you two!" Watari grinned deviously.  
  
"Watari!" Terazuma and Tsuzuki yelled in unison, shaking their fists at him in a threatening manner.  
  
"Honestly…" Tatsumi shook his head in disappointment.  
  
"That would be so cute!" Yuma chirped.  
  
"Hai, hai! I want to see it too!" Saya cheered.  
  
"Ah! Hai! Me too!" Wakaba smiled. "I wish I'd been there on your night out! It sounded like such fun!"  
  
Saya nodded. "Me too!"  
  
Yuma nodded and grinned evilly at Hisoka. "Me too! And it would have been the perfect opportunity too."  
  
Hisoka glowered at them. "I wasn't drinking."  
  
At this point both Tsuzuki and Terazuma's faces were bright red.  
  
"Damn it! I wish I'd never helped you out when you were drunk!" Terazuma growled at Tsuzuki.  
  
"Don't go blaming me!" Tsuzuki snorted.  
  
"You're the one who hugged me!" Terazuma shouted.  
  
"I was drunk! I also hugged a wall!" Tsuzuki countered.  
  
"Don't yell at me! At least I'm not an idiot and a slut!" Terazuma growled.  
  
Tsuzuki gaped for a moment unable to find words.  
  
"That was uncalled for!" Ukyou sat up suddenly, shouting at Terazuma. "Apologize for that remark!"  
  
"I ain't apologizing for anything!" Terazuma told her. "Besides it's the truth."  
  
"And how do you reason that?" Ukyou asked, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Do you know how many people that moron has wrapped around his freaking finger?" Terazuma growled. "And who knows how many of them he's sleeping with!"  
  
"Leave Tsuzuki alone!" Hijiri shouted. "He's a good person and he's smart too."  
  
"Well there's another to add to the list." Terazuma snorted.  
  
Hijiri gaped before blushing and averting his gaze.  
  
Tsuzuki disentangled himself from Ukyou, stood, and glared at Terazuma. Terazuma stood too and returned the glare.  
  
"Not good…" Watari mumbled.  
  
"You're just jealous of the amount of friends I have, Hajime-chan." Tsuzuki smirked.  
  
"Is that so?" Terazuma had an evil glint in his eye. "Tell me something, Tsuzuki-san…"  
  
"Hai?" Tsuzuki smiled challengingly.  
  
"After your date with Ukyou-san, where did you go? Kurosaki says you weren't at your apartment for the rest of the night, and you came to work the next day wearing the same clothes you wore on your date, so…where were you all night, Tsuzuki-san?" Terazuma smirked.  
  
Tsuzuki's eyes widened.  
  
Everyone stared at Tsuzuki for a response.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled suddenly. "I was with Watari. I didn't feel like going home. I needed to talk to him about a few things."  
  
Watari shoved food in his mouth so he wouldn't have to answer any questions, smiling as Tatsumi looked at him curiously.  
  
Terazuma was unfazed. "Is that so? What did you two talk about?"  
  
Tsuzuki shrugged. "I don't remember now, but why is it any of your business anyway?"  
  
Terazuma sighed. "I suppose it isn't. So what about the night you left work early?"  
  
Again Tsuzuki shrugged. 'You aren't getting me that easily. Wait a minute…does he know?' "I went for a walk, I told you that."  
  
"You went for a walk in the rain all night long?" Terazuma questioned. "You didn't stop somewhere, see someone?"  
  
"Ah! Was that the night we met in the hospital, Tsuzuki-san?" Ukyou asked. "You were there to see Kazutaka I believe, right?"  
  
Terazuma smiled winningly.  
  
"H-Hai." Tsuzuki said nervously. 'Crap! I'm cornered!'  
  
"You should know as well as anyone that Tsuzuki-san came to see me that night. You did come and bother me about it a day or so later. And I believe I told you that Tsuzuki-san fell asleep on the couch in my office." Muraki saved him.  
  
Terazuma glowered. "Yea, but you were lying."  
  
"Prove it." Muraki challenged.  
  
"All right then, Sensei." Terazuma smiled. "Why was your desk a mess the other day when we came to visit you?"  
  
"Disgruntled patient I'm afraid, a bit of a temper." Muraki explained, shaking his head sadly.  
  
'I love you even more, Kazu! Beat that Hajime-chan!' Tsuzuki smiled at Terazuma.  
  
"Who were you meeting last night, Tsuzuki-san?" Terazuma asked. 'I've got you this time, Tsuzuki-san!'  
  
"Meeting?" He choked slightly.  
  
Terazuma nodded. "Kurosaki heard you on the phone yesterday morning telling someone you'd meet them at seven o'clock last night…in the park."  
  
"I…" 'CRAP!'  
  
"Tsuzuki-san had dinner with me last night." Muraki butted in.  
  
"Why is that?" Terazuma asked.  
  
"Do you have a problem with two friends getting together to have dinner, or any other meal for that matter?" Muraki asked.  
  
Terazuma growled. 'Damn it! What now…I know! You aren't getting out of this one!' "No, I have no problem with it." He shrugged. "Watari?" Terazuma turned toward the blonde.  
  
"Nani?" Watari cocked his head to the side curiously.  
  
"Do you remember what you and Tsuzuki talked about on the night of his date?" Terazuma asked.  
  
Watari shrugged. "Can't remember." He scratched his head.  
  
"You know why you can't remember anything from that night?" Terazuma asked.  
  
Watari shook his head.  
  
"Well I do. I just remembered in fact. You see Tsuzuki-san, Watari got drunk that night and Tatsumi, Kurosaki, and I had to go keep an eye on him. Therefore, you couldn't have been with him that night." Terazuma smirked. "So, care to tell the truth?"  
  
"Hey I remember that now!" Watari smiled triumphantly.  
  
Tsuzuki gaped. "Why is it any of your business anyway, Hajime-chan? Since when do you care what I do?" Tsuzuki snapped.  
  
"Watari-san, you got drunk last night too!" Yuma observed.  
  
"Hai, why is that?" Saya asked. "Were you depressed or something?"  
  
"Well you see girls I was not so much depressed as I was having mixed feelings." Watari explained.  
  
"Why is that?" Wakaba asked.  
  
Watari opened his mouth before he thought about what he was saying. "You see, I'm still having mixed feelings about this whole ordeal between Tsuzuki and Muraki. You know they have no consideration at all! They put me right in the middle of things and expect me to cover for them every time they go off on some sort of a date. I hate having to lie to people! Tatsumi scares me. Besides, I don't see the big deal in them dating anyway…It's their life let them live it the way they want. They can screw each other all they want for all I care, doesn't make a difference to me. Who cares if they're dating? They already said they love each other, right? Honestly…" Watari rolled his eyes.  
  
Complete and utter silence.  
  
Watari was about to take a sip of tea when he noticed the silence. He looked around curiously. "Huh?" Then he realized what he'd said. His eyes widened and he slapped his hand over his mouth.  
  
Terazuma smiled. "No use in hiding it anymore." He shrugged.  
  
Tatsumi coughed once and then sipped his tea lightly; Hisoka and Oriya were staring intently at the unmoving Muraki; Ukyou's gaze flipped back and forth between Tsuzuki and Muraki; the other three girls stared wide-eyed at Watari; Hijiri was staring at the frozen Tsuzuki; and all the while, Terazuma stood with a triumphant smile on his face, he'd finally won a battle against Tsuzuki Asato even if it was only a verbal one.  
  
Oriya finally shook himself free of his surprised state and glared at the side of Muraki's face. "Is this all true, Kazu?"  
  
Wakaba, too, shook herself free. She looked to Tsuzuki who was still frozen in shock. "Is it, Tsuzuki-chan?"  
  
Watari stood abruptly, making the ever-present 003 tumble off his shoulder. "I'm SO Sorry! I'll understand if you never trust me with anything ever again!"  
  
"Stop your babbling Watari-san." Tatsumi stated simply before taking another sip of tea.  
  
"Kazu! Answer me! Is this all true?" Oriya growled.  
  
Suddenly Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba latched onto Tsuzuki, smiling brightly up at him.  
  
"We're so happy for you Tsuzuki-chan!" Wakaba cheered.  
  
"Hai! This is wonderful news!" Yuma chirped.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Saya asked.  
  
Tsuzuki didn't respond for he was still frozen in shock. The girls continued to pull on Tsuzuki's arms and clothes while congratulating him.  
  
Oriya watched as Ukyou gathered her things and left hurriedly without another word. He growled. "If this is all true, how long has it been going on?"  
  
Watari whimpered and warily walked up to Tsuzuki's frozen form. He lightly waved his hand in front of the other's face. "Tsuzuki?" He mumbled.  
  
The three rambunctious teenage girls finally released Tsuzuki and began asking Watari questions since it seemed hopeless to ask Tsuzuki.  
  
Tsuzuki's head was bowed so no one could see his eyes. He finally moved, he turned around and walked towards Muraki. Muraki didn't seem to notice him since he was too busy trying to ignore Oriya and the glares he was getting from Hisoka. In fact, he didn't realize until the shinigami rested his head under the doctor's chin and wrapped his arms around his upper torso, burying his hands under the doctor's coat. Muraki smiled and wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's back, pulling him closer.  
  
Silence fell upon the group once again.  
  
"Kawaii!" Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba cheered together.  
  
Muraki chuckled softly at the three and pulled Tsuzuki a little closer, almost protectively. Tsuzuki smiled into the collar of the doctor's shirt and tightened his grip around the other.  
  
Terazuma growled. "Get a room for god's sake!"  
  
Wakaba scowled at her partner. "Be nice, Hajime-chan!"  
  
Terazuma grunted and pulled out a cigarette.  
  
"Well?" Oriya tapped his foot impatiently while glaring at Muraki.  
  
"Well what?" Muraki asked, smiling as he buried his face in chocolate brown hair.  
  
"I don't know about them but I have quite a few questions for you." Oriya told him.  
  
Tatsumi stood and dusted off his suit, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We actually have a few questions our selves."  
  
"We couldn't get very much out of Watari." Terazuma mumbled, jerking his thumb in the direction of the blonde scientist.  
  
"I barely told them anything and I didn't even tell them anything until after they found out for themselves." Watari explained.  
  
"Calm down Watari. I'm not mad." Tsuzuki mumbled into Muraki's neck.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"First of all, how long has this been going on?" Oriya asked.  
  
"About a week now." Muraki mumbled into Tsuzuki's hair. 003 perched herself on Muraki's shoulder and alternated between preening Tsuzuki and Muraki's hair.  
  
"How did this all start?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
"I can answer that one!" Watari smiled. "If you don't mind…"  
  
"Go ahead." Tsuzuki told him.  
  
"Do you remember when Tsuzuki left work early?" Watari asked conversationally. "Well he went to see Muraki to ask him some questions. Tsuzuki got in his face a couple times, blurted out that he was worried about him, hugged him, then ended up kissing him on instinct I suppose. After that Muraki went to the door to unlock it for him and let him out and suddenly Tsuzuki just kissed him again and things traveled on from there. Blah, blah."  
  
Tsuzuki smiled and kissed the doctor's exposed neck, upsetting the little owl as he moved his head.  
  
"And exactly how serious are you two?" Oriya growled at them.  
  
Muraki whispered something into Tsuzuki's ear and the purple-eyed shinigami slipped his left hand out from under the other's jacket to rest it on Muraki's free shoulder.  
  
Everyone looked around curiously.  
  
Suddenly Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba's eyes lit up. They ran over, grabbed Tsuzuki's left hand off Muraki's shoulder, and nearly yanked Tsuzuki's arm off. Tsuzuki sat on the ground at the doctor's feet, his left hand being fondled by three teenage girls and his right grasping Muraki's lovingly, yet desperately. Muraki smiled down at the shinigami and squeezed his hand lightly. 003 ruffled her feathers at the disturbance before settling back down.  
  
The others were still clueless about the situation.  
  
Watari smiled, ran over to Tsuzuki, wrapped his arms around his friend's neck and knocked him over, pulling Wakaba, Saya, and Yuma down with them and ripping his hand from Muraki's grasp. "I don't care if it is Muraki." Watari told him. "I'm still happy for you."  
  
"Hakushaku-sama isn't going to like this." Saya shook her head.  
  
"Oh my god you're right!" Yuma squeaked.  
  
"You need permission from both Hakushaku-sama and Enma-sama for this!" Wakaba announced.  
  
"Enma-sama is very protective!" Saya explained.  
  
"Hai! Remember the ordeal with Saagatanus!" Yuma said.  
  
"But Enma-sama only wants Tsuzuki-chan to be happy. I'm sure he'll give his approval." Wakaba reasoned. "The only real problems are Hakushaku-sama and Tsuzuki-chan's Shikigami."  
  
"Sohryu isn't going to like this." Watari shook his head. "Neither is Suzaku-nee-san."  
  
Suddenly Tsuzuki sat up with a yelp, knocking down Watari in the process. "I forgot about Nee-san and the others!"  
  
Yuma shook her head. "I don't think even Genbu-san would like this."  
  
"Maybe you could convince them it's a good idea, or at least Byakko!" Saya told him.  
  
Tsuzuki shook his head. "Nee-san and Sohryu are going to kill me."  
  
"Would someone care to explain what's going on?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
Wakaba, Saya, and Yuma grabbed hold of Tsuzuki's left hand and held it toward the secretary. "Isn't it wonderful news?" They squealed.  
  
"I think they're about to rip my arm off." Tsuzuki whimpered.  
  
"Hang in there." Watari patted Tsuzuki's arm, which had once again taken hold of the doctor's hand.  
  
"Baka!" Hisoka growled.  
  
"You have to convince all twelve shikigami." Wakaba shook her head. "After the incident in Kyoto, what do you suppose Touda-san will say?"  
  
Watari shook his head. "Touda doesn't care." He told them. "The real problems are Suzaku-nee-san and Sohryu."  
  
"Hai!" Saya nodded. "Nee-san will be very angry."  
  
Yuma hugged Tsuzuki. "We'll get through this."  
  
"What do you suppose Enma-sama will say?" Wakaba asked.  
  
"I…I already asked Enma-sama this morning." Tsuzuki explained.  
  
"And what did he tell you?" Tatsumi asked.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled up at Muraki. "He said it was OK. That is, after a very, very long speech." He sighed in exasperation.  
  
"That's great!" Wakaba cheered.  
  
"He said he'd arrange a meeting with Hakushaku-sama. Something I'm not looking forward to." Tsuzuki shuddered slightly.  
  
"When is the wedding going to be?" Saya asked.  
  
"Anou…" He looked up at Muraki curiously.  
  
"We haven't thought that far in advance." Muraki explained. He looked curiously out the corner of his eye at the little owl preening his hair.  
  
Yuma clapped her hands together. "You should do it in spring!"  
  
Saya smiled. "Definitely! It should be an outdoor one too."  
  
"In a garden." Wakaba added. "Oh! And the altar can be a white arch, strung with roses, surrounded by two sakura trees on either side!"  
  
"Oh that would be so beautiful!" Saya nodded in agreement.  
  
"They'll plan the entire thing." Watari shook his head.  
  
Tsuzuki nodded.  
  
"Do you think Genbu-san would do the ceremony?" Yuma asked.  
  
"Anou…maybe, but do you think that's such a good idea?" Wakaba asked.  
  
Yuma shook her head. "You're right."  
  
"Oh! Tenkou-chan would be the perfect flower girl!" Saya cheered.  
  
"Oh my god that would be so cute!" Wakaba and Yuma agreed.  
  
"Day or night wedding? What do you think?" Yuma asked.  
  
"Oh, if we did it at night Rikugou-san could pick the perfect day and time!" Wakaba squealed.  
  
"Kouchin-kun could do the music!" Saya added.  
  
Yuma nodded. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could do it in Tenkuu-san's garden?"  
  
The other two nodded. "Hai!"  
  
"Kijin-kun could carry the rings!" Saya added.  
  
The three girls turned suddenly to ask the couple what they thought and grinned at the sight.  
  
Tsuzuki was on his feet once again, cuddling up against the doctor and kissing him passionately, 003 fluttering around their head.  
  
"Kawaii!" The three squealed in delight.  
  
Tsuzuki blushed bright red and pulled away, snuggling up against Muraki, his head resting under the taller man's chin. Muraki smiled as he clutched the other tightly against his body.  
  
Yea! OK The next chapter might take me a while because I am not totally sure where I'm going with this yet. But I will post it! I will finish this story if it kills me!  
the question is how...suggestions welcome! 


	16. Approval, Or Not

Watari sighed and knocked on the front door of the KoKakuRou. A young girl in a blue and white kimono opened the door with a smile. "May I help you?" She asked sweetly.

"My name is Watari Yutaka. I'm here to see Oriya and Muraki." He told her.

She smiled. "I'll go get them for you." She bowed before turning to leave.

"Remind me again why I'm coming?" Oriya asked as they began to leave.

Watari shrugged. "I'm just following orders"

When they arrived at the Castle of Candles, they watched the strange scene before them.

A tall wild white haired man with a long black and white tail twitching happily behind him was hugging Hisoka tightly. A tall woman in heels with a stern face was scolding what looked like a floating mask and gloves as she hugged Tsuzuki close to her. Tatsumi sat at a table sipping tea as he conversed with a man with blue hair, a blue haired boy sitting beside him quietly. Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba were playing with a little girl in a fancy kimono; a beautiful woman with some sort of musical instrument sat nearby watching with another woman sitting beside her, not facing them. Sitting at another table was a short old man and a longhaired man with glasses, a pot sitting on the table in front of them. At another table, close to Wakaba and the others sat Terazuma and a rather dark looking man with a visor.

"Nervous?" Watari asked.

"Now that we are here." Muraki answered quietly.

"Only eleven of them are here." Watari explained. "The other one is a building."

"A building?" Oriya questioned.

Watari nodded. "Well stand here all you like, I'm going to say hello." Watari smiled before bouncing towards Hisoka and the man with a tail.

"Watari!" The white haired man cheered before bringing the blonde into a hug.

Muraki and Oriya stood in silence where Watari had left them, watching everything going on around them.

The little girl who had been playing with Wakaba, Saya, and Yuma timidly walked over to them. She smiled up at them. "Hello."

Oriya smiled and bent to her eye level. "Hello."

"My name is Tenkou. Who are you?" She asked sweetly.

"My name is Mibu Oriya." He told her. "It's nice to meet you Tenkou."

She bowed slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Tenkou-chan!" Wakaba cried. "Oh you made it." She smiled at the two older men.

Oriya nodded an affirmative.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes." Muraki nodded.

Wakaba smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine." She said. "Just watch out for Suzaku and Sohryu." She winked.

"And which ones are they?" Oriya asked.

"Sohryu is the one talking to Tatsumi-san, and Suzaku is the one protecting Tsuzuki-chan from Hakushaku-sama." She smiled. "Hakushaku-sama is the floating mask and gloves." She explained.

"I see." Oriya said, not sounding too sure of him self.

"Tenkou-chan, why don't you go play with Saya and Yuma, OK?" She smiled brightly at the little girl.

"OK." The little girl bowed once more to Muraki and Oriya before running off.

"That's Sohryu's daughter." She explained. "Follow me." She led them over towards Hisoka, Watari, and the man with a tail.

Just before they reached the three, the white haired man pulled away and bounced over towards Suzaku and Tsuzuki.

Hisoka straitened his clothes and hair and grunted as they neared. "You made it." He stated.

Oriya shrugged. "I don't know why I'm here though."

Hisoka turned to glance at Hakushaku. "Ask him, he would know better than anyone else."

Watari straitened his glasses and rumpled clothes. "Are you ready?"

Muraki let out a long sigh. "I suppose." He then heard a slight growl from behind him; he noticed that all the noise and commotion had died down to nothing. He turned to see the white haired man standing behind him, tail twitching.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice surprisingly soft.

For some reason, Muraki suddenly couldn't speak.

Floating white gloves clapped together, a smile on the mask. "I see the last of our guests have finally arrived." Hakushaku said.

"Guests?" The tail twitched again.

"Yes." The Earl assured.

Tsuzuki slowly wriggled out of Suzaku's grasp. As he took a step towards the doctor, Suzaku grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards her. "Nee-san." Tsuzuki whimpered.

"I'm afraid a couple of your guests are unwanted, Earl." Sohryu was standing now, but had not moved away from the table.

"No!" Tsuzuki yelped and pulled away from Suzaku, quickly re-attaching himself to the doctor.

Everyone was silent.

"Tsuzuki! What is the meaning of this?" Sohryu's voice boomed.

The white haired man poked Tsuzuki's back. "This is about the ring on your finger, ne?"

"Hai, Byakko." Tsuzuki mumbled.

"Ring?" Suzaku squawked. "What ring?" Her hands rested on her hips in defiance, a heavy scowl on her face.

"Who'd have thought you'd want to marry your worst enemy. Ah, the world works in mysterious ways." Byakko grinned, sighing dreamily.

"Marry?" Suzaku asked. "I don't think so!" She shouted, shaking her head back and forth rapidly.

"Nee-san…" Tsuzuki whimpered. His violet eyes pleaded as his hands bunched on the silver haired man's shirt.

Suzaku stomped her foot. "NO! I won't have it." Her voice cracked as it rose in volume.

The shinigami whimpered and he sniffled lightly. "Nee-san, please…"

"No." She said stiffly. "Not happening!"

"Nee-san, please listen to me…"

"I agree with Suzaku, this is not happening." Sohryu crossed his arms over his chest, a finality of his statement.

"But Sohryu…" Tsuzuki whimpered.

"I believe I'll have to agree. As does Genbu-san."

"Rikugou! Genbu! Please…"

"Of the rumors I've heard, Taimou and I will have to agree." Said the woman with the instrument.

"But Taimou, Kouchin!" Tsuzuki protested, standing guard in front of Muraki, finally having let go of Muraki's shirt.

"I highly doubt Tenkuu would agree to this either." Said the pot.

"Daion! Will you all just please listen to me for a moment…"

"Tenkou and I must agree with our father." Said the blue haired boy.

"Kijin!" Tsuzuki cried. "Will you all please stop and listen to me for a minute?"

"Tsuzuki, name one person who approves of this relationship." Sohryu demanded, stepping closer to his master and towering over him.

"Enma-sama has already given his approval!" Tsuzuki explained, unfazed by Sohryu's act of authority. "Wakaba, Saya, and Yuma are happy for me. And as much as he objects, Watari is happy for me too. As much as they may disagree they understand that this is my decision."

"We know what's best for you Tsuzuki." Suzaku told him.

"If you knew that you'd have known not to disobey me in Kyoto!" Tsuzuki snapped.

Suzaku was taken aback slightly. "You were in danger!" She yelled, her hands fisting at her side.

"If I was in real danger, don't you think I would have called you?" He shouted.

"Asato…" Muraki put his hands on the shorter man's shoulders to calm him.

Tsuzuki closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath.

"Byakko, you haven't expressed your opinion on the subject." Sohryu stated.

Byakko smiled. "I don't care either way, as long as Tsuzuki is happy."

"Thank you, Byakko." Tsuzuki smiled.

Sohryu huffed. "And you? You haven't said anything either, Touda."

"I don't think his opinion matters. He doesn't care for Tsuzuki's well being." Suzaku said, glaring at the man in the visor sitting beside Terazuma. "He tried to kill him in Kyoto." She snorted, waving her hand at Touda as if she was shooing a fly.

"I just want to let Tsuzuki be free…even if that 'freedom' is 'death'." Touda mumbled.

"Stop blaming Touda!" Tsuzuki snapped. "I called for him! If you want to yell at someone, yell at me."

"I'll never understand why you insist on defending him." Suzaku growled.

Touda stood from his chair and walked over to stand near Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki pulled him closer and hugged him; Touda didn't seem to react to the hug.

"What do you say, Touda?" Tsuzuki asked, pulling away slightly to look up at the other.

"I have to agree with Byakko." He said calmly, obviously not fearing the evil glares he was getting from Suzaku and Sohryu.

Tsuzuki smiled. "Thank you."

Byakko crept up behind Muraki and rested his hands on the silver haired man's shoulders, startling him; Byakko smiled reassuringly. Once Tsuzuki was preoccupied with trying to separate Suzaku and Touda, he leaned down to whisper in the doctor's ear. "Hurt him, and I'll hurt you." Byakko straitened and smiled warmly down at him.

Muraki swallowed the lump in his throat before shaking his head. "Never." He said. He turned to look at the violet eyed man again as he stood protectively in front of Touda. "Never again."

Byakko grinned and nodded approvingly. "That's good." He announced before pulling the pale man into a giant bear hug, effectively scaring the crap out of him.

Oriya chuckled at the site, catching the attention of all the shinigami with the exception of Tsuzuki. Hisoka smiled, Watari chuckled, Tatsumi shook his head, Terazuma snorted, and the three girls giggled.

Silence once again owned the group as everyone looked at Byakko and Muraki.

Sohryu shook his head. "Byakko! What do you think you're doing?" His voice boomed.

Tsuzuki bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Byakko grinned widely as he hugged the pale man slightly tighter. "What?" He asked innocently.

The doctor's hands gripped the tiger god's arms as he tried helplessly to free himself. The pressure from the hug was literally squeezing the breath from his lungs, and would most likely crack a few ribs very soon.

Seeming to suddenly remember that Muraki was human, Tsuzuki rushed towards the two. "Byakko let go please."

Suddenly seeming to come to the same conclusion, Byakko let go instantly, leaving Muraki to stumble forward into the violet-eyed man. He coughed slightly, and with only slight difficulty, regained his composure.

Tsuzuki grinned and then giggled as Muraki sent him a mock glare.

"Sorry." Byakko scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"As we were saying." Sohryu nearly growled. "Despite the opinions of Byakko and Touda, merely two of your twelve guardians, the answer is still no. The opinion of seven people verses fourteen is quite the difference."

Oriya raised his hand. "Fifteen." He murmured. To which he received an intense glare from Muraki.

Sohryu nodded. "Fifteen verses seven."

Tsuzuki frowned. "Sohryu, I understand that you're protective of me, but I am merely here for your opinion, not your consent. Do not forget, I am your master, not the other way around."

Sohryu frowned and took a step forward to tower over his master once again. Touda stepped between the two.

"Touda." Sohryu growled.

"Tsuzuki has a point. We are obligated to watch over him and keep him safe, but we are only supposed to intervene if he calls for us. Tsuzuki, although there are very few acceptations, has always made good choices."

Tatsumi murmured something about repair bills and property damage. Tsuzuki scowled.

Hakushaku stepped forward. "Now, now everyone." He smiled. "I'm sure Tsuzuki-san has taken the proper amount of time needed to know whether or not Muraki-sensei has changed for the better."

"They've only been dating for about two weeks." Oriya mumbled.

"WHAT?" Suzaku squawked.

Tsuzuki winced. "The wedding won't be for a couple months anyway…" He murmured in defense.

"That doesn't matter!" Suzaku growled, shaking her fist in the air. "You've only known this man intimately for two weeks! And you're willing to marry him after how many years of torture he put you through?" She flailed her arms wildly. "Tsuzuki, do you not remember all of the things you and your friends went through because of this man? The countless people he's killed…"

"Kazutaka isn't like that any more." Tsuzuki protested.

"And not only all of that," Suzaku continued. "He raped not only your partner, but you as well!"

"I did no such thing!" Muraki shouted. "I may have been a bit forward with Asato over the years but I never once raped him, not even in Kyoto when he was semi-conscious and I had every opportunity to do so." He held the violet-eyed shinigami close to his chest in a sort of protective manner.

Suzaku looked slightly confused, her brow furrowed and her mouth opening and closing in thought. "But what about…"

"That was a dream, Nee-san." Tsuzuki muttered in embarrassment, his face completely flushed a dark red as he tried to bury his face in Muraki's chest.

Muraki blinked and chuckled lightly at the brunet's embarrassment, holding him slightly tighter.

"Still," Sohryu's voice bombed angrily. "This man has caused you quite a bit of grief, and even made you attempt suicide."

"Muraki also fairly recently committed a series of murders with the excuse that he had an 'urge' to kill them. Whose to say that 'urge' won't return?" Hisoka sneered.

"Bouya, I'm going to remove the curse that I put on you, and you have my word, if I ever harm anyone again, or if I ever hurt Asato, you may do what you wish. You can take the evidence I gave you from those last murders and turn me into the authorities, or you can bring me to Meifu and let me be judged and sent to hell."

Hisoka paused, not sure what to say. It was hard to deny the sincerity in the doctor's voice. And the empath that he was, he knew that Muraki really was sincere deep down. He scowled, and let out a deep sigh. "Tsuzuki." He nearly barked.

"Huh?"

Hisoka looked into his partner's eyes, holding the gaze for several moments. "You have my blessings."

A light smile appeared on Muraki's face and he kissed Tsuzuki's forehead before slowly releasing him. Tsuzuki grinned and hugged the emerald-eyed boy tightly, causing the boy to scowl but allow it. "Thank you, 'Soka."

"Yea, yea, get off before I pass out from your giddiness." The teen grumbled.

Tsuzuki chuckled and did as he was told, but not before giving the boy a quick kiss on the cheek.

Hisoka blushed and swatted the older man away.

"If Bon is OK with it, why not the rest of you?" Watari asked, patting Hisoka on the head playfully.

Rikugou stood and smiled. "I think I agree with Byakko, whatever makes our master happy is fine by me."

"Tsuzuki, Tsuzuki!" Tenkou chirped happily, bouncing up and down.

"Taimou and I change our minds as well." Kouchin smiled warmly.

"All I've ever wanted is your happiness." Tatsumi stated absently as he sipped his tea.

"Thirteen against nine, how do you like them odds!" Watari exclaimed. "Though, Terazuma shouldn't count cause he doesn't really care." He muttered as an after thought.

"Genbu-san agrees as well." Rikugou announced cheerfully.

"As do I!" Daion piped up.

"I must disagree with you father." Kijin spoke up defiantly, earning a glare from Sohryu.

"That's everybody against Sohryu, Suzaku, Tenkuu, and Oriya-san." Wakaba said. "Except Hakushaku-sama hasn't really voiced his opinion on the subject."

Everyone turned to look at the floating mask and gloves.

"Well, I think I agree with Tatsumi-san for once." He chirped. He turned to face Tsuzuki. "All I really want is for you to be happy."

Tsuzuki nodded his head. "Thank you."

Oriya sighed loudly. "Well, I suppose the only reason I ever hated purple eyes is cause he tired to kill you, but considering how well I know you, you probably deserve to get stabbed in the side every once in a while."

Muraki chuckled. "I take that as your odd way of giving your blessing?"

"Yea sure." Oriya huffed.

Suzaku grabbed Tsuzuki's wrist and pulled him slightly closer. "I want you to be happy too." She murmured sadly. "I just don't…" She bit her lip, trying to think of how to explain her feelings.

Tsuzuki hugged her. "You guys and my friends are the only family I have now. I know you're protective of me, and I'm glad you are."

She smiled and hugged him back. "As long as you are happy, you have my blessings."

As the two pulled away, everyone looked up at Sohryu, whom was still scowling angrily with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.

He glared down at Tsuzuki and gritted his teeth. "This goes against everything I stand for…" He growled.

Tsuzuki cheered and pounced the fearsome Shikigami. "Thank you Sohryu!"

Sohryu turned his head away in a huff and patted the violet-eyed man on the head. 


	17. Wedding

It's finally over! I was debating for forever on whether or not to do this for the last chapter but in the end my brain said 'what else are you going to do, if not that, and I love the idea anyway.' I may do an alternate ending. depends on the feedback.

R&R is much appreciated!

* * *

Tsuzuki nervously adjusted his bow tie for about the hundredth time as he stood in front of the mirror. Tatsumi, whom stood behind the violet-eyed shinigami, sighed as he dusted off his black shoulders and then reached around to fix the tie that Tsuzuki was only messing up with his nervousness.

"You're going to be fine." Watari murmured, tugging the sleeves of Tsuzuki's jacket and shirt down.

Hisoka stood in the corner, adjusting his own suit.

"We have to start taking our places now!" Wakaba's voice called through the door after a quick knock.

"You heard the woman." Watari grinned, patting Tsuzuki's arm before turning to leave.

"Good luck." Tatsumi smiled at him in the mirror before turning and following the other two out the door.

Tsuzuki sighed, pouting at himself in the mirror. He vaguely heard the door quietly open and close behind him as he fiddled with his cumber bun.

"You look so handsome." A soft female voice said from behind him.

Tsuzuki turned and stared in astonishment.

She was beautiful, gorgeous even. Lightly tanned skin, soft brown eyes, and lightly wavy chocolate brown hair reaching just past her shoulders. Her facial features were gentle and almost perfect as she smiled calmly at him. She wore a beautiful, flowing white gown with pale blue sakura blossoms along the bottom hem, a matching pale blue shawl around her shoulders. Around her neck hung a sliver heart shaped locket with a small amethyst stone in the center. "How are you Asato-chan?"

"R-Ruka-nee-san?" He stuttered in disbelief.

"Hello, otouto."

"What… Why...?"

"Consider me your wedding gift from Enma-sama and Hakushaku-san." She smiled.

He rushed forward and hugged her shoulders, tears gathering in his eyes as he hugged her tightly.

Her arms lifted to cup his shoulder blades as she rested her chin on one of his shoulders, smiling as she closed her eyes and hugged him back just as tight. "You've gotten taller, Asato-chan."

"I've missed you so, so much." Tsuzuki's chest shuddered as he took in a breath, suppressing the tears to the best of his ability.

"As have I, otouto. Tell me, how old are you?"

"Twenty-six." He murmured as he pulled back slightly.

"No, no." She whispered with a light shake of her head as she reached up and gently wiped the tears from his eyes. "You can't be the same age as your nee-san." She told him playfully.

Tsuzuki chuckled.

"I'm so happy for you." She sighed as she retied his bow tie. She swept off the shoulders of his black suit, tugging down the sleeves before pulling it closed and buttoning it together. She fixed his collar once more before smiling in satisfaction. "Perfect." She glanced at his messy hair before frowning. "Almost." She chirped before running her fingers through the silky chocolate strands.

"Nee-san." He frowned.

She giggled as she finished, cupping his face in both of her hands she pulled him down until their foreheads touched. "I love you, and I am _so_ proud of you."

"I love you too, nee-san."

"Let's go before you're late." She gently kissed his forehead before taking a hand in hers and leading him towards Tenkuu's garden where the wedding was being held. She paused where Hakushaku stood, as he was supposed to give the violet-eyed man away.

"Nee-san," Tsuzuki called as she turned to take a seat with the wedding party.

"Yes?"

"I need to know. Does it bother you?" Tsuzuki blushed and twiddled his fingers nervously.

"Does what bother me, Asato?" She chirped curiously, head cocking to the side in confusion.

"That…that I'm marrying another man." He murmured, glancing at her through his eyelashes.

Ruka frowned, pursing her lips. She stepped forward and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him down slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "Otouto, in the era we grew up in it was uncommon and frowned upon, but that does not mean it is wrong, understand?"

"Yes." He smiled shyly, nodding.

"You love him?"

"Yes."

"Then as long as you love him and he loves you, it will never, ever be wrong."

"Thank you."

"You shouldn't need your nee-san to tell you what your heart already knows. Silly little boy." She smiled playfully and kissed the bridge of his nose.

Tsuzuki simply blushed in response as the older woman let him go.

"Take care of him." Ruka murmured to the Earl.

"Of course." The mask nodded lightly.

Ruka then disappeared outside to take her seat.

* * *

"Looking forward to the honeymoon night?" Watari snickered.

"Stop that." Tatsumi glared.

"Where'd Tsuzuki run off to?" Hisoka murmured, glancing around the room.

"He muttered something about finding someone before running off a couple of minutes ago." Muraki answered, swirling the wineglass in his hand.

"Pardon me."

Muraki, Oriya, Tatsumi, Watari, and Hisoka all turned to the soft feminine voice, a beautiful brunette in a white gown greeting their sights.

"Yes, may we help you?" Muraki asked politely.

"I just wanted to congratulate you."

"Thank you. I'm afraid Asato has disappeared for the moment though."

"That's fine, I was able to catch him before the ceremony."

"I see." Muraki nodded with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Pardon me but who are you?" Tatsumi asked politely. "I don't recognize you as a shinigami or a shikigami, and the only mortals here are Muraki, Oriya, and Minase Hijiri."

"I'm so sorry, how rude of me!" She chirped, laughing lightly at herself. "I am…"

"There you are!" Tsuzuki jogged up behind the woman and sighed. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Gomen nasai, otouto. I was saying 'hello' to your friends." Ruka explained gently.

"Let me introduce you." Tsuzuki grinned brightly. "These are my friends and co-workers, Tatsumi Seiichirou," Tatsumi gave a light bow and nod. "Watari Yutaka," the blonde scientist grinned, giving a little bow of his own. "My partner, Kurosaki Hisoka," Hisoka nodded lightly, uninterested. "Oriya Mibu, Kazutaka's best friend," Oriya bowed politely. "And of course, Muraki Kazutaka."

"Your new husband." Ruka smiled up at the violet-eyed man as he blushed brightly at her statement.

"Y-Yes." He stuttered, scratching his cheek subtly in embarrassment.

"Now introduce me to them, Asato-chan."

"Ah! This is my older sister, Tsuzuki Ruka."

"I am Asato's wedding gift from Enma-sama and Hakushaku-san. I'm here for today only." Ruka explained. She giggled at their stunned expressions.

Muraki was the first to shake himself out of his daze, stepping forward he picked up her hand and bowed politely before kissing the back of her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruka-san."

"As it is to meet you, Sensei. I have been watching over my brother all his life and I know you love him as much, if not more, than you say you do." She smiled sweetly and bowed back to him. "And I'd like to tell you that your grandfather sends his regards."

"Excuse me?"

"Muraki Yukitaka, your grandfather sends his regards." She reached up and held his face in her hands. "He says that despite the things that have happened in your past, that which you cannot change, he is very proud of you. And he's sure he always will be. I, myself, am proud to call you my brother-in-law." She smiled gently at him.

Taking both of her hands in his Muraki gently kissed them and shook his head lightly. "Asato truly comes from a family of angels."

Tsuzuki blushed brightly at the statement.

"Speak for yourself." Ruka scolded playfully.

Muraki glanced back at his new husband for a moment and after receiving a nod he smiled. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course." The two bowed to each other before turning towards the dance floor. "The next dance is your, otouto."

"Hai!" Tsuzuki grinned.

"I sometimes thought you spoke to highly of your sister, it seems I was wrong." Tatsumi murmured. "She's a wonderful person."

"Nee-san is a very strong person. Just don't make her angry." The violet-eyed man grinned.

"If she's as mean as she is nice I don't think I'll be getting her angry at me any time soon." Watari chuckled.

* * *

"Always remember, I love you and I'm always with you, my precious little otouto." Ruka kissed Tsuzuki between the eyes softly before allowing her brother to hug her one more time.

"Again, it was a pleasure to meet you." Muraki smiled, an arm wrapped protectively around the violet-eyed man's waist.

Ruka reached up to hug him too, lithe arms wrapping around his neck. "Take care of my brother and don't let him cook anything but tea." She murmured in his ear.

The doctor chuckled as she pulled away. "I will, I promise."

"What's so funny?" Tsuzuki chirped.

"Nothing." Ruka smiled sweetly, kissing her brother's cheek one last time. "Ah, before I forget." She reached up and unclasped her necklace, then, taking Tsuzuki's hand, placed the locket in his palm and closed his fingers over it. "I want you to have this. Do with it as you see fit."

"Nee-san…" His eyes swam for a moment before hugging her tightly.

Ruka chuckled lightly. "Be a good boy and let go, this is your day to spend with your husband, not me."

"Right." He pulled back and smiled lightly through unshed tears.

Muraki leaned over and kissed the tears from his eyes. Ruka giggled as Tsuzuki blushed at the intimate contact.

Ruka bowed one last time to the couple. "Congratulations again." She linked her arm with Hakushaku's and with parting smiles over their shoulders the two left the last remnants of the wedding party.

"Happiest day of your life?" Muraki asked, holding his shinigami husband around the waist.

"So far." Tsuzuki grinned, wrapping his arms around broad shoulders clad in white. "And see nee-san again was just a small part of it."

"Good to hear." Muraki murmured huskily before tilting his head and passionately kissing his beloved.

"Awe!" Watari grinned as he watched them.

"Come on you." Tatsumi scolded, tugging the scientist's sleeve so as to give the newlywed couple some privacy.

"Save it for tonight, will you?" Hisoka rolled his eyes before following his two older co-workers.

"Indeed."

Tsuzuki blushed. "I love you."

"I love you too."


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